Gulf countries would struggle to repel Iranian attacks for more than "1-2 weeks" at current rates - CNN
Kyiv • UNN
Gulf countries may not be able to withstand Iranian airstrikes for more than a week or two. This is because cheap Iranian Shahed-136 drones deplete the stocks of expensive Patriot missiles.
Experts say Gulf countries could struggle to repel Iranian strikes for longer than "1-2 weeks" at current rates, CNN reports, writes UNN.
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"Experts said that Gulf states could face difficulties in defending against Iranian air attacks if the current pace continues for 'more than one or two weeks,'" the publication states.
According to Bloomberg, Shahed-136 drones have attacked targets across the Middle East – American bases, oil infrastructure, and civilian buildings.
"According to the UAE, American Patriot air defense missiles have largely succeeded in stopping Iranian Shaheds and ballistic missiles, with an interception rate of over 90%. But using $4 million missiles to destroy $20,000 drones illustrates a problem that has plagued Western military planners since the start of the war in Ukraine: cheap weapons can deplete resources intended for much more complex threats," Bloomberg notes.
"If the current intensity of Iranian strikes continues, PAC-3 stockpiles in the region could be dangerously low within days," according to a person familiar with the matter. If offensive weapon stockpiles also run out, a stalemate could ensue, the publication writes.
After Bloomberg reported on Monday that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were rapidly working to improve their air defenses, the press services of the two countries issued separate statements emphasizing that their respective air defense assets were not depleted and remained well-stocked.
According to the UAE Ministry of Defense, they have so far intercepted 169 out of 182 detected missiles and shot down 645 drones, with 44 hitting the state's territory. Qatar stated that it intercepted 101 out of 104 missiles and shot down 24 out of 39 drones.
But experts said such a level of success would be difficult to sustain.
"Given the intensity of Iranian attacks, they (the UAE) cannot rely solely on their current defensive assets for more than one or two weeks," Jean-Loup Samaan, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, told CNN.
It is unclear how many Shahed drones Iran possesses, but it is believed to have about 2,500 missiles of various ranges, according to Shashank Joshi, defense editor at The Economist.
While the number of interceptors in Gulf countries is unknown, after "another week or so of this, we're going to start seeing very, very serious shortages – especially of the most advanced interceptor munitions," Joshi told CNN.
Meanwhile, Gulf states could shift from a defensive to a more offensive posture, said Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
"I suspect that if the Gulf states decide to activate their modern and quite diverse Air Forces... then, I suspect, it will be something of an open field," Alhasan said at a press briefing today.