US will deploy advanced anti-missile system to Israel amid heightened tensions, Pentagon says
The US will send an advanced anti-missile system to Israel and US troops to operate it “to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement on Sunday.
It is not the first time the US has deployed the system, the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, to the Middle East, Ryder said in his statement, and the system was also deployed to Israel in 2019 for an exercise. But the deployment of additional US troops to Israel is notable amid the heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, and as the region braces for a potential Israeli attack on Iran that could continue to escalate hostilities.
More on the weapon system: The THAAD system is specifically meant for anti-ballistic missile defense and could help Israel better defend itself against a future Iranian attack if Iran decides to respond to any Israeli strike.
The US has been consulting with Israel on how it plans to respond to Iran’s October 1 attack, and US officials have made clear they do not want Israel to target Iranian nuclear sites or oil fields. US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, their first conversation in almost two months, telling him Israel’s retaliation should be “proportional.”
Some context: The US military has significantly increased its presence in the Middle East since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. The US has bolstered its air defenses across the region, deployed additional warships and aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea, and recently sent additional troops to Cyprus to help with possible evacuation planning, CNN previously reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the THAAD deployment earlier.
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