The US has confirmed that it was sending the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery to Israel along with 100 troops to operate it. This is being done at the direction of President Joe Biden so as to help Israel bolster its air defences against Iran's ballistic missile attacks.
A statement by Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin authorised the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden. "This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defence of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran," Ryder said.
It is unclear when the batter will be delivered but IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani thanked the US for its support. Israel is reportedly preparing to strike Iran back for the missile attacks.
However, this isn't the first time that the US will be deploying THAAD batteries to the Middle East. In 2019, the US did sent one for training. Last year, it 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.
The US reportedly has seven THAAD batteries, with each consisting of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors and radio and radar equipment.
It is considered a complementary system to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometres (93 to 124 miles).
The move, which will aggravate the conflict in the Middle East, comes as Iran warned it has no red line in defending itself. Accusing the US of worsening the situation by providng weapons to Israel, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "The US has been delivering record amount of arms to Israel," wrote Araghchi on X. "It is now also putting lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate US missile systems in Israel."
"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," he added.
