With tensions between Iran and Israel reaching historic levels, the United States and its closest ally now face a set of new and unforeseen security challenges. These include the immense financial burden of missile defense, growing social unrest, and the psychological and economic toll on both Israeli society and American strategic calculations.
According to The Washington Post, if Iran maintains the current intensity and scale of its missile strikes, Israel’s air defense system will be exhausted within 10 to 12 days. The paper reports the daily cost of missile defense for Israel at roughly $285 million—a figure unsustainable without direct U.S. logistical and military support. A senior American security official, speaking anonymously, stated:
“Without resupply or operational intervention, Israel can only maintain its defenses for 10 to 12 more days.”
By the end of this week, the official added, Israel may be forced to ration interceptor missiles—prioritizing some incoming threats while letting others through.
“They’ll have to choose which missiles to shoot down and which to let go. That, in itself, signals the gradual collapse of Israel’s defensive shield.”
On the battlefield, Israel’s vulnerability in a war of attrition stems from two main factors: its small geography and dense population, which make evacuation and civilian protection nearly impossible, and the sheer destructive power of Iranian missiles. Armed with warheads of up to 1.5 tonnes and equipped with advanced maneuverable and multi-stage technologies, these missiles have overwhelmed air defense systems. They are unlike the improvised rockets from Palestinian or Lebanese groups—this is the first time Israeli cities like Tel Aviv, Haifa, Herzliya, and Be’er Sheva face a real threat to civilian security.
Trump, who in his first term avoided costly military interventions in favor of economic pressure, threats, and sanctions, now finds himself in a bind that can’t be solved with tweets or tough rhetoric. On one hand, pro-Israel lobbies in Washington are demanding immediate, unconditional support. On the other, Trump is unwilling to enter a war that could send American body bags back home and collapse U.S. economic influence in the Middle East.
In this fog of war, Iran’s sustained missile strikes are destabilizing Trump’s strategic calculus. If the U.S. president chooses not to cross the operational threshold in defense of Israel, Tel Aviv’s military defeat could become a symbolic defeat for Washington’s show of power. But if he does intervene directly, he risks plunging the U.S. into an unpredictable, high-cost conflict that could end in catastrophe—threatening both his campaign slogans and his political future.
Israel’s eroding defense capability, the mounting costs of war, and Iran’s clear willingness to engage in full-scale retaliation using domestically-developed weaponry have combined to put the Trump administration in a pressure cooker. The outcome of this dilemma could reshape the security architecture of West Asia for years to come.
NOURNEWS