By Helene Cooper
The Pentagon revealed on Sunday that the United States is dispatching a sophisticated missile defense system to Israel, alongside approximately 100 U.S. personnel to manage it.
President Joe Biden instructed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to send the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, commonly referred to as THAAD, along with its crew, according to a statement from Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder.
This development positions U.S. forces nearer to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and follows Iran’s launch of around 200 missiles, including ballistic varieties, towards Israel on October 1, as Israel prepares for a counterattack.
When queried on Sunday, Biden stated only that he had instructed the Pentagon to implement the system “to protect Israel.” Ryder noted in his statement that the deployment would “enhance Israel’s integrated air defense system.”
“This measure highlights the unwavering commitment of the United States to Israel’s defense and to safeguarding Americans in Israel from any further ballistic missile threats posed by Iran,” the statement elaborated. “It forms part of the more extensive adjustments the U.S. military has undertaken in recent months to bolster Israel’s defense and shield Americans from assaults by Iran and its aligned militias.”
The United States had previously dispatched a THAAD battery and additional air defense assets to the area in the weeks following the Hamas-led assaults on October 7, 2023. It remains unclear how soon the missile defense system and personnel will reach Israel.
On Saturday, Austin communicated with Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, and “voiced his serious concerns regarding reports of Israeli forces targeting U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon, along with the reported fatalities of two Lebanese soldiers,” the Pentagon stated in relation to the call.
On Sunday morning, the Israeli military announced that its aircraft had struck approximately 200 Hezbollah positions in Lebanon in the previous day.
