The US says the move underlines its "ironclad commitment” to defending Israel against “further Iranian missile attacks.”
The United States will send an advanced anti-missile system to Israel, the Pentagon announced, as President Joe Biden’s administration continues to provide “ironclad” support to one of its key allies amid rising tensions with Iran. .
The Pentagon announced Sunday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has approved the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) “batteries and associated U.S. military personnel” to Israel to help strengthen Israel’s air defenses. did.
“The THAAD battery will strengthen Israel’s integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States’ unwavering determination to protect Israel from further ballistic missile attacks by Iran and to protect Americans in Israel.” The Department of Defense said in a statement.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Iran barraged Israel with missiles on October 1 in retaliation for the assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and Iranian generals.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have vowed to retaliate, raising fears that the Middle East could be drawn into a full-scale regional war.
Biden suggested earlier this month that Israel should refrain from attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil fields, but the Israeli government has repeatedly defied the U.S. president’s public warnings in the past.
It is unclear when exactly the U.S. THAAD system will be deployed to Israel. An anonymous U.S. official told CBS News that “approximately 100 troops” would be sent to the country.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US government was “endangering the lives of our soldiers by deploying troops to operate US missile systems in Israel”.
“While we have made great efforts in recent days to contain all-out war in our region, I want to make it clear that there is no red line that must be crossed to protect our people and interests,” Araghchi said. wrote on social media.
The United States says it supports diplomacy and regional de-escalation, but critics point out that the United States provides unwavering military and diplomatic support to Israel.
The United States provides at least $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel annually, and the Biden administration has approved $14 billion in further aid to the ally since the Israeli military began the war in the Gaza Strip last October. are.
Israel recently expanded its bombing campaign in Lebanon after recently engaging in a gunfight with the Lebanese group Hezbollah across the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Amid rising tensions, the Biden administration is rejecting calls to halt arms transfers to Israel in a bid to pressure Israel to end its wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
(Al Jazeera)
Israel already uses three integrated missile defense systems to intercept rockets and missiles fired at the country.
But the THAAD system the U.S. deploys in Israel has greater range than other systems and represents a “step up,” Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reported from Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
“Also, an important point is that the (THAAD) system is so complex that it requires a crew of 94 people, 94 trained crew members, to operate it, and these are U.S. military personnel. “It’s going to be,” Hanna said.
“This is a system that is being put in place, and it represents a significant increase in U.S. support for Israel as this crisis continues.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera, military analyst Elijah Magnier said he believed the announcement of the THAAD system meant an expected Israeli attack on Iran was “not imminent.” Israel wants to deploy missile defense systems before an attack, and said it is likely to do so. This will be followed by Iranian attacks on Israel.
The U.S. deployed a THAAD squadron to Israel in 2019 for training and air defense exercises, the Pentagon announced Sunday.
Biden also directed the military to deploy to the Middle East “to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region” after Hamas attacked southern Israel last October 7.
