The US will send troops and an anti-missile system to Israel to bolster its air defences against attacks by Iran. The move is being described as “highly unusual.”
President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the deployment is intended to “defend Israel,” which is considering retaliation against Iran after it fired hundreds of missiles at Israel at the beginning of October.
The US has warned against a response that could trigger a wider regional war, including attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder described the deployment as part of “the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months” to support Israel and defend US personnel from attacks by Iran and its proxies in the region.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has been deployed to Israel before, for drills in 2019. The system includes six truck-mounted launchers, with eight interceptors on each launcher and an advanced radar system. It requires around 100 troops to operate.
Military deployments to Israel for combat purposes are rare, but in recent months the US has helped Israel’s defence from warships and using fighter jets based in the Middle East.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned earlier on Sunday that the US is putting the 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,” Araqchi posted on Twitter.
It’s unclear how soon the THAAD system will be deployed.
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