The US will send an advanced anti-missile system to Israel and troops to operate it.
The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) can defend against long, medium and short-range ballistic missiles.
The system will be used “to help bolster Israel’s air defences following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on 13 April 13 and again on 1 October,” according to the Pentagon.
It said the battery would be sent along with an “associated crew of US military personnel”. THAAD requires 95 soldiers to operate per battery.
“This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defence of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” it added in a statement.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned earlier today that the US was putting the lives of its troops “at risk by deploying them to operate US missile systems in Israel”.
For context: This is not the first time the US has deployed a THAAD battery to the region.
Joe Biden directed the military to deploy one to the Middle East last year following the 7 October attacks to defend American troops and interests in the region.
The US previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defence exercise.
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