Pentagon announces deployment of THAAD anti-missile system to Israel
The United States has confirmed its decision to deploy an anti-missile system, operated by American troops, to support Israeli forces in light of recent challenges in defending against Iranian threats.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated on Sunday that President Joe Biden has authorized Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to send a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery along with its personnel to bolster the air defenses of Israel amidst growing tensions in the region.
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“At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1. The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system,” Ryder said in the statement
He pointed out that providing the Israelis with the anti-missile system operated by American military personnel shows the United States’ unwavering support for the Tel Aviv regime.
“This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” he said, adding, “It is part of the broader adjustments the US military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”
He pointed out that this was not the first time the Pentagon provided the Israelis with the anti-missile system operated by US military personnel.
“This is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. The President directed the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the October 7th attacks to defend American troops and interests in the region. The United States previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise,” he revealed.
The THAAD battery is accompanied by approximately 100 US troops that operate the anti-missile system, according to a US defense official.
Meanwhile, the US has made it clear that it does not want the Israeli regime to target Iran, particularly the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy sites or its oil fields.
Biden reportedly instructed the Israeli regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that any such attack should be “proportional” with the Iranian airstrikes.
Key Israeli military and intelligence targets were hit in the retaliatory operations launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces.
Proofreading by Fa’izatu Aliyu Doma, Journalist at Neptune Prime.
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