The White House is aware that Gulf countries have said they’re running short on missile interceptors, and that they’ve said they’re having to choose which objects to blow up — and which not to — multiple sources told CBS News. The White House has discussed the matter, the sources said.
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan first reported on March 5 that Gulf states were running dangerously low on missile interceptors and had asked the U.S. to expedite new supplies. U.S. allies in the region were told that officials in Washington were creating a task force to get them new supplies, but the sources said it wasn’t happening as quickly as they needed.
On “60 Minutes,” CBS News chief Washington correspondent asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Brennan’s reporting on the Gulf states’ interceptor shortage and whether the U.S. was prepared to protect them and to help them restock.
“Very prepared — we plan for that,” Hegseth replied. He added that Iran’s missile capability had been reduced by 90% and said that “our projections of munitions are well beyond what we would need.”
Hegseth indicated the U.S. would be able to help with resupply or “crossload for allies, if need be, always ensuring that our forces and our troops and our bases are taken care of first.” And he said that “where we can help allies, we will.”
Iran has continued to fire missiles and drones at Gulf states Monday and Tuesday. A strike on an apartment building in Bahrain killed a woman overnight, according to the country’s interior ministry.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Defense said in a social media post on Wednesday that its air defenses had intercepted at least 106 Iranian missiles and 177 drones since the war began.
Kuwait has provided frequent updates. On Tuesday, the defense ministry said the Gulf state had destroyed five drones and that no missiles were detected over the preceding 24 hours, suggesting a reduction in Iranian attacks targeting the country since the war started. On March 1, the Kuwaiti army said it had intercepted 97 ballistic missiles and 283 drones in the first two days of the war.
Qatar, too, has released updates nearly every day. On Tuesday, Qatar said five missiles were intercepted, a sharp drop-off from a day earlier, when it counted 17 missiles and six drones targeting the tiny Gulf country.
The UAE’s defense ministry said Tuesday that at least 262 ballistic missiles had been detected since the beginning of the war, including 241 that were destroyed and 19 that fell into the sea. Two hit UAE soil. The Gulf state said it was responding to more missile and drone attacks early Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia provides constant updates — the kingdom said Tuesday it had engaged and destroyed seven drones and eight ballistic missiles.
