Israeli officials are concerned about the dwindling stockpile of US munitions stored in Israel which has been sent to aid Ukraine, Yisrael Hayom reported on Thursday.

As YWN reported, a New York Times article in January reported that a“little-known stockpile” of American ammunition in Israel is being used by the Pentagon to supply Ukraine with artillery shells for its battle against Russia. According to the report, the US promised it will replenish the stockpile but at this point, there has been no indication from the Biden administration when that will happen, and as is known, the arms stockpiles in the US are currently strained.

The US request to transfer arms from Israel to Ukraine was approved by then-interim prime minister Yair Lapid. Sources told Yisrael Hayom that arms have been shipped every week until recently and were specifically shipped on Shabbos to avoid attention from the media.

Israeli defense officials are concerned by the dwindled arms supply in the face of Israel’s increasingly delicate security situation. The US arms stockpile has been in Israel for decades and there is an understanding between Jerusalem and Washington that the arms can be used by Israel in the case of an emergency – that is, a major attack by its Arab neighbors.

“These are Israel’s reserve stockpiles for times of war,” a former cabinet minister said. “The transfer has serious implications in light of the threats to Israel in multiple theaters.”

The Israeli officials’ concern is well-founded. A US official confirmed to Yisrael Hayom that “it is still not clear when the reserves will be restocked,” adding that it depends on the manufacturing pace in the US.

Following Netanayhu’s return to power and the left-wing sector’s unprecedented incitement against his government, the relationship between Biden and Israel has deteriorated. Senior Israeli security officials say that Biden’s cold shoulder to Israel along with his lack of response to Iranian aggression and failure to improve ties with Saudi Arabia is directly affecting Israel’s strategic situation in the region.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)