US to send anti-missile system and troops to Israel, Pentagon says By Reuters

By Phil Stewart, Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -America mentioned on Sunday it’ll ship U.S. troops to Israel together with a complicated U.S. anti-missile system, in a extremely uncommon deployment meant to bolster the nation’s air defenses following missile assaults by Iran.

U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned the transfer was meant “to defend Israel,” which is weighing an anticipated retaliation in opposition to Iran after Tehran fired greater than 180 missiles at Israel on Oct 1.

America has been privately urging Israel to calibrate its response to keep away from triggering a broader battle within the Center East, officers say, with Biden publicly voicing his opposition to an Israeli assault on Iran’s nuclear websites and his considerations a few strike on Iran’s power infrastructure.

Pentagon spokesperson Main Common Patrick Ryder described the deployment as a part of “the broader changes the U.S. navy has made in latest months” to assist Israel and defend U.S. personnel from assaults by Iran and Iranian-backed teams.

However a U.S. navy deployment to Israel is uncommon exterior of drills, given Israel’s personal navy capabilities. U.S. troops in latest months have aided Israel’s protection from warships and fighter jets within the Center East when it got here underneath Iranian assault.

However they had been primarily based exterior of Israel.

The Terminal Excessive Altitude Space Protection system, or THAAD, is a crucial a part of the U.S. navy’s layered air protection techniques and provides to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses.

A THAAD battery normally requires about 100 troops to function. It counts six truck mounted launchers, with eight interceptors on every launcher, and a strong radar.

Iran’s Overseas Minister Abbas Araqchi warned earlier on Sunday that the US was placing the lives of its troops “in danger by deploying them to function U.S. missile techniques in Israel.”

“Whereas now we have made great efforts in latest days to comprise an all-out battle in our area, I say it clearly that now we have no purple traces in defending our folks and pursuits,” Araqchi posted on X. 

Nonetheless, specialists say Iran has sought to keep away from a direct battle with the US, making deployment of U.S. forces to Israel one other consider its calculus going ahead.

Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel in April. Then on Oct. 1, Iran fired greater than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid one other escalation in combating between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Many had been intercepted in flight however some penetrated missile defenses.

U.S. officers didn’t say how rapidly the system could be deployed to Israel.

The Pentagon mentioned a THAAD was deployed to southern Israel for drills in 2019, the final and solely time it was identified to be there.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:), the largest U.S. arms maker, builds and integrates the THAAD system, which is designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Raytheon (NYSE:), underneath RTX, builds its superior radar.