ReutersThe United States said it would deploy high-altitude missile defense systems and troops to Israel to bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iranian missile attacks earlier this month.
The Pentagon said in a statement that President Joe Biden had ordered the deployment of the THAAD battery and crew “to defend Israel.”
Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel on October 1. The Israeli military said most of them were intercepted, but many attacked central and southern Israel.
Israel has not yet said how it will respond to the attack, but Defense Minister Joav Gallant called it “lethal, accurate and, above all, surprising.”
Iran says it will not respond to any attack by Israel.
The Pentagon said the THAAD deployment “underscores the United States’ unwavering commitment to defending Israel and protecting Americans in Israel from further ballistic missile attacks from Iran.”
After Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, the United States dispatched the THAAD battery to the Middle East. Previously, in 2019, a THAAD battery was sent to Israel for training and air defense training.
However, it is more rare for the United States to send crews to Israel.
Iran said the Oct. 1 missile attack was in response to Israel’s assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Israel has dramatically expanded its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in recent weeks, carrying out deadly airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon and parts of Beirut.
Before that, Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged cross-border gunfire almost daily since last October, when Hezbollah began shooting at Israel to show its support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He said he would stop shooting if a ceasefire was reached in the Gaza Strip.
But international efforts to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza have so far failed.
What is THAAD?
The U.S. announcement highlights growing U.S. concerns about ballistic missiles targeting Israel.
THAAD provides another layer of intercept protection against endo and exo (internal and external) atmospheric threats. Each battery costs about $1 billion.
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin describes the system as highly effective against short-, medium- and long-range targets.
The THAAD missile, which has a reported maximum range of 200 km (124 miles), is a “hitting” type rather than using a proximity explosion to take down a target.
Israel’s missile defense consists of Iron Dome against short-range rockets, David’s Sling against long-range weapons and cruise missiles, and Arrow 2 against ballistic missiles fired from more than 1,000 km (621 miles) away. It consists of Arrow 3.
Countering ballistic missile threats is particularly difficult due to the missile’s high speed and rapid aspect change during flight. This is especially true in the final stages.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has about 150,000 rockets, mainly supplied by Iran.
