The United States will send an advanced missile defense system to Israel and about 100 American soldiers to operate it, the Pentagon announced Sunday. This will be the first U.S. military deployment to Israel since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
President Biden has directed Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and its crew, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement Sunday. .
This move brings the US military closer to the escalating war in the Middle East as it operates ground-based interceptors to defend against ballistic missiles. This comes as Israel plans a retaliatory attack after Iran fired around 200 missiles at Israel on October 1st.
The THAAD mobile defense system will provide the Israel Defense Forces with a new layer of defense to protect cities, troops, and facilities from short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles like those deployed by Iran in previous attacks. .
Asked about the matter on Sunday, Biden said only that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy the system “to protect Israel.” General Ryder said in a statement that the battery “strengthens Israel’s integrated air defense system.”
“This action underscores the United States’ unwavering commitment to defending Israel from further ballistic missile attacks by Iran and protecting Americans in Israel,” the statement said. “This is part of broader adjustments made by the U.S. military in recent months to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”
A senior U.S. military official said Sunday that it would take at least a week to deliver the new system and the necessary troops to Israel.
The THAAD system will be the first U.S. military deployment to Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, but the U.S. military built a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza in May to expedite humanitarian aid to the enclave. The pier was demolished in July after weeks of damage from rough seas.
And late last month, as Israel stepped up attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Pentagon announced it would send “thousands” of U.S. troops to the Middle East, with one official putting the figure between 2,000 and 3,000. It is said that The United States also sent a THAAD squadron to the region along with other air defense systems weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
The decision, announced Sunday, comes as senior Pentagon officials debate whether the increased U.S. military presence in the region is suppressing war, as hoped, or fueling it. It was done.
Several Pentagon officials have expressed concern in recent weeks about Israel’s increasingly aggressive campaign against Iran’s most powerful proxy, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. , we know that a fleet of U.S. warships and dozens of attack planes stands ready to help blunt Iran’s response.
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised the issue during meetings at the Pentagon and the White House, officials said. General Brown also questioned the impact of an expanded U.S. presence in the region on overall combat “readiness,” or the ability of the U.S. military to respond quickly to conflicts, including conflicts with China and Russia. There is.
A senior U.S. military official said General Brown, Mr. Austin and other officials have sought to strike a balance between containing the conflict and emboldening Israel.
On Saturday, Mr. Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant and expressed “deep concern at reports that Israeli forces have opened fire on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon and the reported deaths of two Lebanese soldiers.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced. Telephone Statement.
On Sunday morning, the Israeli military announced that Israeli warplanes had struck some 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day.
Eric Schmitt contributed reporting.
