The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel, the Pentagon said on Sunday, even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel.
Major General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that defence secretary Lloyd Austin authorised the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden.
Maj Gen Ryder said the system will help bolster Israel’s air defences following Iran’s missile attacks on the country in April and October.
“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,” Maj Gen Ryder said.
The Iranian warning came in a post on the social platform X long associated with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who noted reports that the US was considering the deployment.
Israel is widely believed to be preparing a military response to Iran’s October 1 attack, when it fired roughly 180 missiles into Israel.
It was not immediately clear where the THAAD battery was coming from. The US deployed one of the batteries to the Middle East along with additional Patriot battalions to bolster protections for US forces in the region late last year after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
Maj Gen Ryder also said that the US sent a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training.
According to an April report by the Congressional Research Service, the Army has seven THAAD batteries. Generally, each consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment and requires 95 soldiers to operate.
The THAAD is considered a complementary system to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometres (93 to 124 miles).
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel