IRIA News

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The United States is sending one of its most advanced missile defense systems THAAD and about 100 U.S. troops to Israel to help bolster its ally’s air defenses amid escalating war in the Middle East and an imminent Israeli assault on Iran in response to Iranian ballistic missile barrage against Israel early October.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery under the direction of U.S. President Joe Biden. He said that the system will “help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1.”

Gen Ryder added that “THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system. 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.”

This is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. Last year, following the October 7 attacks, the President ordered the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East to protect American troops and interests. Additionally, a THAAD battery was previously deployed to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise.

Israel vows lethal retaliation against Iran

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has vowed a devastating attack against Tehran in response to its ballistic missile barrage against Israel on October 1. “Our strike will be powerful, precise, and above all — surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened,” Gallant said.

The Iranian assault came after Israel assassinated key Iranian, Hamas, and Hezbollah officials. The most notable was the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on September 27.

While Hezbollah and Hamas have failed to inflict any significant damage on Israel, the Iranian assault highlighted vulnerabilities in Israel’s defenses. Additionally, a Hezbollah drone evaded air defenses on October 14, striking an IDF base near Binyamina and resulting in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers and injuries to at least seven others.

The THAAD deployment comes amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, despite diplomatic efforts to prevent an all-out war. Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon have been clashing since October 8, 2023, when the militant group launched rockets across the border in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah says it has been firing on Israel in solidarity with Palestinians trying to survive Israeli attacks in Gaza, which have killed nearly 42,00 people and injured another 98,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

In late September 2024, Israel initiated a ground invasion in Lebanon following airstrikes targeting Hezbollah members. These Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people, including 127 children and 261 women, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.

THAAD — the powerful anti-missile defense system

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a combat-proven system designed to intercept short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats, both inside and outside the atmosphere.

Developed by Lockheed Martin, the THAAD defense system is one of the U.S. military’s most powerful anti-missile weapons, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles) with a near-perfect success rate in testing.

Each THAAD battery comprises six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, and radio and radar equipment. It requires about 95 to 100 soldiers to operate the system.

According to a Congressional Research Service report, the U.S. military has seven THAAD batteries, each equipped with six truck-mounted launchers (with eight interceptors each), a powerful radar system, and a fire control and communications component. One of these batteries is being deployed to Israel to enhance its missile defense capabilities to help defend Israel against a future Iranian attack in response to any Israeli strike. To support this deployment, about 100 U.S. troops will be sent to Israel to operate the battery.

The latest deployment of the THAAD missile system signals that the United States expects the Israeli assault to be “so comprehensive that the Iranians will have to respond,” according to Middle East expert Aaron David Miller. Reports suggest that Iran has informed the U.S. that it would retaliate against any new attack by Israel.

The THAAD deployment adds to the over 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment that the United States has supplied to Israel since the onset of the war last October, according to Israel’s Defense Ministry.