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Analysts warned on May 21 that the United States has expended more than half of its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) interceptors while defending Israel in the conflict with Iran, a development that has heightened security concerns in South Korea and Japan. The Washington Post, citing multiple security officials, reported that U.S. forces fired more than 200 THAAD interceptors to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Israel. That figure represents roughly half of the U.S. military’s THAAD interceptor inventory. Kelly Grieco, a senior researcher at the Stimson Center, said production now struggles to keep pace with demand. She added that the shortfall in U.S. interceptors has unnerved Asian allies—particularly Japan and South Korea—who rely on American missile defenses to deter potential threats from North Korea and China. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said THAAD interceptors based in South Korea have been sent to the Middle East and are being prepared for transport. While U.S. forces have expended the comparatively costly THAAD interceptors, Israeli forces reportedly used fewer than 100 Arrow interceptors and fewer than 100 David’s Sling interceptors. The Washington Post also noted that, from President Donald Trump’s perspective, a rapidly weakening U.S. missile-defense inventory could make him reluctant to sustain a war with Iran. Reporter: Lee Jun-heum Audio: AI dubbing Produced by: Lee Jin-gyun #Iran #Israel #MiddleEast #THAAD #TerminalHighAltitudeAreaDefense #SouthKorea #Japan #Security #China #NorthKorea Yonhap News TV inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23 Lee Jun-heum (humi@yna.co.kr)
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