US confirms deployment of THAAD missile defense system to Israel

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the missile defense battery recently sent by the US military to protect Israel is now “in place.”

Speaking in Kyiv, Austin declined to say whether the THAAD was operational. But he added: “We have the ability to put it into operation very quickly and we’re on pace with our expectations,” News.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has been sent in case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack.

Around 100 US troops were expected to be deployed to operate the system, which is considered a complementary system to the Patriot system but can defend a wider area, capable of hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).

Each battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.

Iran has been bracing for retaliation after its October 1 attack on Israel that included firing some 200 ballistic missiles — which it said came in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon last month that killed the top leadership of the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy, and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head, Ismail Haniyeh.

The deployment of the US system in Israel, including US personnel on the ground, deepens the United States’ involvement in the conflict after a year of it largely offering support from outside the country’s borders.

News.Az