About 100 US troops will deploy to Israel to operate anti-missile system

Approximately 100 US troops are deploying to Israel to operate the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, according to a US defense official.

It is rare for US troops to deploy inside Israel but this is a typical number of troops used to operate the anti-missile defense system.

Some context: The US provides billions in military support to Israel every year. According to a 2023 report into international arms transfers by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a think tank that tracks arms sales worldwide, 69% of Israel’s arm imports come from the US.

The US-imported weapons “have played a major role in Israel’s military actions against Hamas and Hezbollah,” the think tank reported, noting that at the end of 2023, thousands of guided bombs and missiles were rapidly delivered from the US to Israel. F-35 and F-15 fighter jets were also delivered to Israel from the US in January 2024.

The US also provides financial assistance to Israel, delivering over $130 billion in bilateral funding since 1948, according to the US State Department. In 2019, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding that ensured the US would annually provide Israel with $33.3 billion from the Foreign Military Financing program, and another $500 million for missile defense.