&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "US will send troops to Israel to help defend against Iran Foreign Defense Security News")
The United States will send a high-altitude area defense terminal battery to Israel and the troops needed to operate it, the Pentagon said Sunday, even as Iran warned Washington to keep U.S. forces away from Israel.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had approved the deployment of the THAAD battery at President Joe Biden's direction. He said the measure would help strengthen Israel's air defenses after Iran's missile attacks on Israel in April and October.
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Despite extensive diplomatic efforts to avoid all-out war, the delivery of sophisticated missile defense systems poses a risk of escalating the conflict in the Middle East. Iran's warning came in a post on the X social media platform that linked it to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who cited earlier reports that the United States was considering deploying troops.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have been clashing in Lebanon since October 8, 2023, when the Lebanese militant group began firing rockets across the border in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza. Late last month, Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
It is widely believed that Israel is preparing a military response to Iran's October 1 attack, when it fired approximately 180 rockets at Israel.
During a brief exchange with reporters before leaving Florida on Sunday, Biden said he had agreed to deploy THAAD batteries to defend Israel. Biden spoke at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa after a brief visit to see the damage from Hurricane Milton and meet with first responders, residents and local leaders.
In his statement, Ryder said the deployment “underscores the United States' commitment to defend Israel and protect Americans in Israel from any further missile attacks by Iran.”
It was not immediately clear where the THAAD batteries were coming from or when they would arrive. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli army spokesman, declined to give a timetable for his arrival but thanked the United States for its support.
October 7, 2023 The United States deployed a battery to the Middle East along with additional Patriot battalions to enhance protection of U.S. forces in the region late last year following an attack on Israel by Hamas militants. Ryder also said that in 2019, the United States sent a THAAD battery to Israel for training.
The limited number of troops in Israel is not unusual for the United States, which the United States considers a major regional ally. Typically, a small number of forces are deployed continuously, side by side, for regular rotation during training and exercises.
According to an April report by the Congressional Research Service, the Army has seven THAAD batteries. Each typically has six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.
THAAD is considered a complementary system to Patriot, but can protect a larger area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles).
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been modified by Business Standards staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
