Pentagon will send advanced missile defense system, military personnel to Israel

The U.S. will send to Israel a missile defense system and military personnel to operate it, the Pentagon announced Sunday.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery “and associated crew of U.S. military personnel” at President Biden’s direction “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. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Biden told reporters in Florida on Sunday that he gave permission to deploy the THAAD “to defend Israel.” He declined follow-up questions.

The Pentagon deployed a THAAD battery to the Middle East shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas, as well as in 2019 for training, Ryder said.

“The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system. 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,” Ryder said.

The move comes as Iran issued a fresh warning about American troops in the region.

The Iranian warning came in a post on the social platform X long associated with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who noted the reports that the U.S. was considering the deployment.

Last month, Israel launched a limited incursion into Lebanon after facing cross-border attacks from the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. An Israeli strike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other officials, ratcheting up the conflict.

Since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel has plowed ahead with plans to dismantle Hezbollah, weaken Iran and suppress Hamas in the Gaza Strip — largely without consulting the United States beforehand, but relying heavily on military and political support from Washington.

Updated at 1:37 p.m.

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