Ex-US official urges Israel to give Ukraine Patriot interceptors retired after Iran ops.

A former Pentagon official says hundreds of Patriot interceptors in Israel’s reserves could be sent to Ukraine after they failed to thwart Iran’s retaliatory military operations.

"[US President Donald] Trump has made clear he wants to provide Ukraine with more air defense assets. With that in mind, I think the best place to get them from with the least amount of trade offs against US and allied readiness is from Israel's stocks of retired Patriot PAC-2 missiles/batteries," Dan Caldwell, a former senior advisor to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said in a post on X on Thursday.

He noted that Israel has more than half a dozen retired Patriot missile batteries and hundreds of interceptors in its reserves.

“Israel has already provided one Patriot battery and about 90 missiles to the US for refurbishment, which was then reportedly sent on to Ukraine. According to open source data, Israel probably has about eight batteries and several hundred missiles left in storage," Caldwell said.

The former official also referred to the “significant amount” of the US’ anti-missile system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and SM-3/6 interceptors used by Washington when it joined directly in intercepting missiles fired by Iran last month in retaliation for the Israeli aggression, saying “the US has more than enough standing to ask Israel to send a portion of its retired Patriot stockpile back to the US which can then be provided to Ukraine.”

On June 13, the Israeli regime launched an all-out aggression on Iranian soil by targeting various military and nuclear sites, claiming the lives of dozens of top military commanders and nuclear scientists as well as ordinary civilians.

As the Iranian armed forces pounded Israel and its military and industrial infrastructure, using many new-generation missiles that precisely hit the designated targets, the embattled regime was forced to unilaterally declare a truce deal on June 24.

Caldwell’s remarks came as The Guardian earlier this week reported that the US only has about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors it needs for all of the Pentagon’s military plans, as Washington used them to try to thwart Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel and carry out pro-Tel Aviv strikes on Yemen.

Ukraine in ‘total shock’ as US partially halts weapons shipments

Ukraine has expressed concern over the United States’ decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, amid declining US stockpiles.

Trump, who had vowed to get a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine in one day, promised earlier this week to send 10 Patriot missiles to Kiev in a sudden change in his stance on the conflict.

The president said he was “disappointed” with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and would resume weapon deliveries to Ukraine, as peace talks stall.

Media reports, citing people familiar with the decision, said earlier this month that the Pentagon has recently paused the shipment of 30 Patriot air defense missiles and nearly 8,500 155mm artillery shells, over 250 precision GMLRS missiles and 142 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles to Kiev.

According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the US has provided Ukraine with nearly $86 billion in military assistance since the Ukraine war began in February 2022.

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