American "Fears" Prompt Them to Accelerate the War on Iran.. What Are They?

SadaNews - As US and Israeli attacks on Iran continue, there are growing concerns in the United States about depleting its stock of interceptor munitions that counter Tehran's intensive missile and drone strikes.

Current and former officials and analysts told the "Wall Street Journal" that this concern is driving the United States to accelerate its strikes and destroy Iran's missile and drone capabilities before its defensive munitions run out.

Similar fears led the United States to end the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June, as reports indicated that Israel, Washington's ally, showed diminished capacity to fend off attacks.

It is noted that the exact size of the US stockpile of air defense munitions is classified information, but repeated conflicts with Iran and its proxies in the Middle East have negatively impacted regional defense supplies.

Since Saturday morning, the United States and Israel have launched intensive airstrikes targeting leadership and military sites in Iran, including missile and drone launch platforms and airports. A senior official explained that one reason for the US and Israeli initiative to strike these targets is to undermine Iran's ability to retaliate with its missiles and drones.

It is still unclear how long the strikes will continue, but US and Israeli estimates suggest they will "continue as long as deemed necessary" from their perspective.

Trump posted on social media on Saturday: "However, the intense and precise bombardment will continue unabated throughout the week, or as long as necessary to achieve our goal of peace across the Middle East, and even the entire world".

During Saturday and Sunday, Iran launched hundreds of missiles at countries in the region, as well as Israel.

The US Central Command stated on Saturday that its forces had largely succeeded in intercepting hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks, although some managed to hit their targets.

Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, told the "Wall Street Journal": "One of the challenges is that these (defensive) resources are depleting very quickly. The US is using them at a faster rate than the ability to replace them".

The United States provides its allies in the region with defense systems, such as THAAD and Patriot interceptors, but concerns remain about them running out quickly.

Israel has similar concerns as it still faces a shortage of Arrow 3 interceptors, according to an American official speaking to the "Wall Street Journal".

The United States has transferred large quantities of interceptors to the region, and an American official stated that if the war drags on and the need for more arises, Washington will have to decide whether to use the stocks available in the Pacific.