The Department of Defense confirmed on Oct. 13 it will deploy an advanced air defense system and American support troops to Israel.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said President Joe Biden directed Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to authorize deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the country in the midst of its conflict with both the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist groups, according to the department.
The statement said that an “associated crew” will also be sent to Israel to operate the THAAD system, without elaborating. It’s not clear when the system will be deployed in Israel, where it will be positioned, or how many troops will be sent to the country.
The delivery of the sophisticated missile defense system risks further inflaming the conflict in the Middle East despite widespread diplomatic efforts to avoid an all-out war. Iran issued a warning via a post from an account on the social platform X long associated with Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, noting the earlier reports that the United States was considering the deployment.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah have clashed since Oct. 8, 2023, when the Lebanon-based terrorist group began firing rockets over the border in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza. Late last month, Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon.
In a brief exchange with reporters before leaving Florida on Oct. 13, President Joe Biden said he agreed to deploy the THAAD battery “to defend Israel.”
Biden spoke at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa after making a quick visit to observe the damage caused by Hurricane Milton and meet with first responders, residents, and local leaders.
The Pentagon statement on Oct. 13 noted that this isn’t the first time the United States sent a THAAD battery to the region. After the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in Israel, the Pentagon sent a THAAD battery to the Middle East to defend its interests in the region.
A THAAD system was also deployed to Israel in 2019 for training and an air defense exercises, said the Pentagon.
It also is not unusual for the United States to have a limited number of troops in Israel, which is a key regional U.S. ally. There generally have been a small number of forces there consistently as well as routine rotational deployments for training and exercises.
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, along with radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.
The THAAD is considered a complementary system to the Patriot missile defense system, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets up to 125 miles away.
Israeli forces have been engaged in a ground operation in southern Lebanon, which Israeli officials say is a bid to further dismantle Hezbollah.
The Middle East is also on high alert in anticipation of possible retaliation by Israel against Iran, which sent a volley of long-range rockets at Israel on Oct. 1, after multiple incidents involving exploding pagers and walkie-talkies that occurred across Lebanon, for which Iran has blamed Israel. The latter has not claimed responsibility for the explosions.
In late September, Israel was also blamed for an airstrike that targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, killing the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several top commanders.
