According to Israeli sources, the stock of US munitions held in Israel has been decreasing owing to the Ukraine war, and it is unclear when it will be replenished.
It was alleged earlier this year that US ammunition caches in Israel had been partially accessed to assist Ukraine in repelling the Russian invasion. The depots are formally designated as United States military storage facilities and, as such, are deemed to be on American land under bilateral agreements with Israel. Over many decades, Jerusalem and Washington agreed that the weapons there would be designated for Israel in times of necessity, such as if the Jewish state faced a significant onslaught on the scale of the 1973 war.
According to insiders who talked with Israel Hayom, some armaments were shipped out in recent months via the Port of Ashdod, primarily on Saturdays to avoid media notice.
The shipments began under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid’s premierships and lasted until recently. According to Israeli and other sources, the weapons were pulled down due to a lack of reserve stockpiles in the West due to the ongoing combat in Ukraine.
According to an Israeli defense official, the White House decided to redirect resources to another front, but given Israel’s precarious security posture in recent weeks, this could have unintended consequences.
A US official verified this, telling Israel Hayom that “it is still unclear when the reserves will be restocked.”
The official went on to say that this depends on the pace of manufacturing in the United States. The change in how the weapons are employed is also part of the US pivot toward China and Ukraine, which has seen Washington focus less on the Middle East.
Former senior Israeli defense officials have noted that President Joe Biden’s new priorities, including publicly stating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be invited to Washington anytime soon, have directly impacted Israel’s strategic situation in the region. According to officials, the administration’s policies against Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states have allowed Iran to continue developing capabilities, resulting in Sunni states repairing ties with Tehran and making China a far more significant player in the area.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has validated the above information. In response to an inquiry from Israel Hayom, the IDF stated, “U.S. In response to an American request, equipment housed in Israel was given to the US armed forces.” The Prime Minister’s Office and the Defense Ministry were not immediately available for comment.
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