US to send antimissile system to Israel

13 October 2024 , 18:43

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US to send antimissile system to Israel

The US will send an antimissile system to Israel as well as a crew of US military personnel to operate the system.

In a statement released on Sunday, Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said:

At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1.

The 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. It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”

Sunday’s announcement marks the third THAAD system to be deployed to the region. Following Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, Joe Biden authorised the deployment of a THAAD battery to the region. In 2019, the US deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise, the Pentagon said.

Elizabeth Baker