According to Axios, artillery shells – like those used in a live-fire exercise by US troops in 2020 – are being sent to Israel. Spc. Derek Mustard/US Army
- The US agreed to give Israel tens of thousands of artillery shells originally intended for Ukraine, Axios reported.
- But a US official denied the report in a statement to Insider.
- The head of NATO’s military committee previously warned that allies’ ammunition supplies were nearing the “bottom of the barrel.”
The United States plans to give Israel tens of thousands of artillery shells originally destined for Ukraine as Israeli forces continue their bombardment of the Gaza Strip in response to deadly Hamas terror attacks earlier this month, Axios reported.
According to a report published Thursday, three anonymous Israeli officials with knowledge of the situation told Axios that the Pentagon plans to send shipments of 155mm artillery shells to Israel in the coming weeks.
Israel had previously requested the ammunition from the United States, the officials said.
After the initial publication, a US official responded to Insider, denying Axios’ reporting and saying that the US would not divert ammunition officially allocated to Ukraine to Israel. Either way, Israel and Ukraine could end up needing ammunition from an already strained stockpile.
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference Thursday that he had no information when asked about the Axios report, but noted that “we are confident that we have both Ukraine and Ukraine.” “We can continue to support Israel in its defense needs.”
The US Department of Defense referred to Ryder’s comments when contacted by Insider on Friday for comment on the report.
Despite the projected confidence, officials have warned that ammunition supplies are dwindling as Western countries support Ukraine in its fight against Russia – and that was before a second war broke out in Gaza.
The head of NATO’s military committee warned earlier this month that ammunition supplies are nearing the “bottom of the barrel” as intense artillery firefights in Ukraine strain supplies.
The first shipments of U.S. military aid to Israel arrived there last week and continue to be delivered almost daily, Ryder said, explaining that the aid includes precision-guided systems such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, small-diameter bombs and 155 mm artillery bombs. Ammunition.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is asking Congress for tens of billions of dollars in aid for Israel and Ukraine.
The US has provided more than $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded the Eastern European country in February 2022, including several high-profile systems such as the M1A1 Abrams tanks, the last of which arrived in Ukraine earlier this week, as Bradley fought vehicles, Patriot air defense systems, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and M777 howitzers.
But ammunition has been one of the largest and most consistent supplies as Ukraine has consumed artillery in its attack on Russian forces. The war is leaving the US scrambling to significantly increase munitions production for Ukraine, and Biden has acknowledged that supplies – particularly of 155mm shells – are running low.
As a stopgap measure, the U.S. sent controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine in July to ease pressure on U.S. munitions supplies and allow Ukrainian artillery to do more damage with less munitions. “This is a war about ammunition. And they’re running out of ammunition and we’re running low on it,” Biden said at the time.
Now that the munitions are headed to Israel, the U.S. will face increased pressure to support two international partners in the war that need artillery ammunition. And if Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza, as it has announced, its ammunition needs could increase, further straining U.S. stockpiles.
Update: October 20, 2023 – This story has been updated to reflect comments from a U.S. official made after initial publication. The official disputed the Axios report and said that the US would not divert ammunition intended for Ukraine to Israel.
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