THIS IS A SURPRISE

US confirms it’s sending THAAD missile defense battery, 100 troops to operate it, to Israel

Pentagon says deployment of THAAD system, associated crew of US military personnel, will help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented ballistic missile attacks

 

By Lazar Berman

 

The Times of Israel

Oct 13, 2024

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system 

 

The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed that Washington will send an advanced air defense battery to Israel to protect the country in case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack, along with American soldiers to operate it, as Tehran appeared to threaten the US troops to be stationed in the region. A US defense official said around 100 US troops would be deployed to operate the system.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden.

Ryder said the system will help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s missile attacks on Israel in April and October.

“This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” Ryder said.

The THAAD is considered a complimentary system to the Patriot system but can defend a wider area, capable of hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).

Each battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.

It was not immediately clear where the THAAD battery was coming from. The US deployed one of the batteries to the Middle East along with additional Patriot battalions to bolster protections for US forces in the region late last year after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Ryder also noted said that the US sent a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training.

In a social media post published as reports of the planned THAAD deployment circulated, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi charged that the US “has been delivering record amounts of arms to Israel.”

“It is now also putting lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate US missile systems in Israel,” he wrote.

“While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests,” Araghchi added, less than two weeks after Iran lobbed some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1.

Iran has been bracing for an Israeli retaliation after its October 1 attack, which it said came in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon last month that killed the top leadership of the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy, and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh.

The US has been seeking to coordinate with Jerusalem and temper its retaliation. A weekend report indicated that US officials believe Israel has narrowed down its list of possible targets to military and energy infrastructure in Iran.

The US has a wide range of missile defense systems arrayed across the Middle East and Europe, including Patriot systems. Officials have been discussing for months what types of air defense systems to deploy to the region and where to put them.