USA Used a Quarter of Its Missile Interceptors to Defend Israel Against Iran
The United States used nearly a quarter of its missile interceptors to defend Israel during the 12-day war against missile attacks from Iran.
Date: 24th Azar 1404 (December 15, 2025)
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Military Experts Warn About Depletion of U.S. Ammunition Reserves
Military experts have long warned that the depletion of vital ammunition reserves could leave the United States unprepared for a potential conflict with China over Taiwan.
According to Tabnak International Service, in an article by Daily Caller, relations between the United States and Israel have been under scrutiny during President Donald Trump's second term, especially with respect to the short but significant confrontation with Iran and the prolonged efforts to establish peace in Gaza.
Note: The publication of foreign articles does not imply endorsement of their content by Tabnak.
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One year into President Trump’s second term, U.S.-Israel relations were tested on several fronts, including a brief but crucial standoff with Iran and ongoing efforts to mediate peace in Gaza.
Managing Israeli issues became one of Trump’s key priorities during the first year of his second term. He invested considerable political capital in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and resolving the short yet decisive conflict between Israel and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program.
Despite the strong criticism from both the left and right wings, experts discussed with DCNF how U.S.-Israel relations evolved in 2025 and what direction it would take in the remaining years of Trump’s presidency.
One expert stated: “It was extremely disappointing to leave U.S.-Israel relations in a very positive place with the Abraham Accords in 2020, only to return and see the relationship basically fall apart after what I consider the almost blatant misuse of power by the Biden administration during the two years following the October 7th conflict. [Trump] acted very quickly to repair these relations.”
Trump made it a top priority for his administration to establish a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Eventually, in October, the ceasefire was achieved. Since then, both sides have carried out limited attacks, accusing each other of violating the agreement, but the ceasefire has held and prevented the outbreak of large-scale fighting.
However, Israel, for the first time in several months, carried out an attack on Beirut, Lebanon, targeting Heitham Ali Tabatabai, the chief of staff of Hezbollah, killing him. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, five other individuals were killed, and 28 others were injured in the attack.
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Concerns Among Conservatives About U.S.-Israel Relations
Many conservatives have grown more skeptical of U.S.-Israel relations, pointing to Israel’s extensive involvement in numerous conflicts with its neighbors and the potential risk of the U.S. being drawn into another war in the future.
Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said in an interview with DCNF: "When it comes to the argument that Israel is a major partner for the U.S. in the Middle East—show me the evidence. What major U.S. victories has Israel helped secure?"
During the 12-day war, the U.S. used almost a quarter of its missile interceptors to defend Israel against Iranian missile attacks. Military experts have warned that the depletion of essential ammunition reserves could leave the U.S. unprepared for a potential conflict with China over Taiwan.
Amid these challenges, some officials aligned with the Trump administration still believe the U.S.-Israel relationship has significant value that should be preserved.
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Israel’s Military and Technological Cooperation with the U.S.
Victoria Coates, the former Deputy National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term, told DCNF that Israel's extensive military and technological cooperation with the U.S. greatly helped develop the “Iron Dome” missile defense system—a system designed to protect U.S. territory from ballistic missiles.
Coates said, "What we are now building in the first year of Trump’s presidency with the Iron Dome would not have been possible without Israel’s participation. This is a very important achievement for us and for the American people. They may be a small country, but they punch far above their weight when it comes to innovation."
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Tensions Over Israeli Military Operations
Parsi argued that Israeli attacks on Doha, Qatar, marked a turning point in the U.S. government’s view of Israel, severely undermining its credibility in claiming to seek peace in the Middle East.
He said, “We saw changes taking shape; changes driven by the White House’s profound frustration with Israel, especially Netanyahu. Trump began to realize that Israel was becoming a political burden for him.”
Reports indicate that Trump was furious with Netanyahu following the attacks on Doha, saying that the Prime Minister was "screwing him over." In these attacks, Israel failed to target any Hamas leaders and only killed five Hamas operatives and one Qatari security official. There are conflicting reports about whether Trump was informed beforehand; Israeli officials insisted they had at least notified the president shortly before the attacks.
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Trump’s Personal Discontent with Netanyahu
Throughout his presidency, Trump repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu and Israel. However, Coates does not believe the actions that angered Trump will have a lasting impact on the relationship.
She said, “I really don’t think the relationship was damaged because it was never that personal. I say this from experience with ongoing interactions with them. Both are politicians, equals. Both have a deep respect and understanding of the U.S.-Israel relationship. But they are not friends. It’s not a personal relationship—and I’m not saying that to diminish its value, but to explain the reality.”
Trump and Netanyahu continue to publicly support each other, with both reiterating their commitment to this important and longstanding alliance. However, Trump admitted in September that the influence of pro-Israel lobbies in shaping U.S. policy had significantly decreased.
Trump said in an interview with Reagan Rice of Daily Caller: “I have to say, Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress; stronger than anything or any institution or any company or state I’ve ever seen. Today, it doesn’t have that kind of power anymore. It’s amazing.”
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