Report: Pentagon to spend $3.5 billion replacing interceptors used to defend Israel

The US Defense Department will spend more than $3.5 billion to replace missile interceptors and other equipment used to defend Israel during its fighting with Iran, Bloomberg reports.

The Pentagon budget documents from May cite “the situation in Israel” in addition to US military actions “executed at the request of or in coordination with Israel for the defense of Israeli territory, personnel or assets during attacks by Iran,” Bloomberg reports.

A large part of the request covers missile interceptors used to repel Iran’s April 2024 attack on Israel, when the Islamic Republic shot more than 300 missiles and drones at the country that were largely shot down by Israel and its allies, including the United States.

The request appears to predate the 12-day June war between Israel and Iran, in which the US also struck Iranian nuclear sites. However, it also asks for reimbursement for “the movement of new production SM-3 IB rounds” that replaced earlier spent rounds. Bloomberg reports that SM-3 missiles were fired by the US in the June war.

The $3.5 billion is separate from $4.2 billion in weapons and equipment the US sent Israel starting with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that launched the war in Gaza, until May. The $3.5 billion request stems from $14 billion in US military assistance for Israel that was passed last year, Bloomberg reports.

Approximately $1 billion of the request is for a type of missile interceptor fired during the April 2024 attack.