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Will Israel’s Interceptors Outlast Iran’s Missiles? The Answer May Shape the War.

www.nytimes.com

nytimes.com

Author: Patrick Kingsley, Adam Rasgon, Ronen Bergman, Natan Odenheimer and Julian E. Barnes
\ Published on: 19/06/2025 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
\ Israel has a world-leading missile interception system but its bank of interceptors is finite. The answer may shape the fate of Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli security establishment has asked whether the country will run low on air defense missiles before Iran uses up its ballistic arsenal. Israeli military says it is prepared and ready to handle any scenario. At the start of the war, some Israeli officials estimated that Iran had roughly 2,000 ballistic missiles. Between a third and a half of those have been used up, Israeli officials say. Israeli mission to the United Nations did not respond to request for comment. The nature of the war will partly be decided by whether President Trump joins Israel in attacking Iran’s nuclear enrichment site at Fordo, in northern Iran. But the endgame will also be shaped by how long both sides can sustain the damage to their economies. At least 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian strikes, and more than 800 have been injured. Israeli military says it has destroyed more than a third of the launchers. American officials say Israel’s strikes have decimated Iran’s ability to fire its missiles. Patrick Kingsley is The Times’ Jerusalem bureau chief, leading coverage of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs. Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. Intelligence agencies and international security matters. Trump’s approach to Iran has recently shifted under pressure from Israel. Quds Force is one of the most powerful and shadowy arms of Iran’s military. It has long played a central role in Tehran’s covert operations across the Middle East. For years, it has been used to arm and train militias across the region to confront Israel.

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