US deploying THAAD missile defence system, troops to Israel

US says determination underscores ‘ironclad commitment’ to Israel’s defence against ‘further rocket attacks by Iran’.

The United States is sending an precocious anti-missile strategy to Israel, the Pentagon has announced, arsenic President Joe Biden’s medication continues to supply “ironclad” support for 1 of its apical allies amid mounting tensions with Iran.

The US Department of Defense said connected Sunday that Pentagon main Lloyd Austin had authorised the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) “battery and associated unit of US subject unit to Israel” to assistance boost the country’s aerial defences.

“The THAAD Battery volition augment Israel’s integrated aerial defence system. This enactment underscores the United States’ ironclad committedness to the defence of Israel, and to support Americans successful Israel, from immoderate further ballistic rocket attacks by Iran,” the Pentagon said successful a statement.

The announcement comes little than 2 weeks aft Iran fired a barrage of missiles astatine Israel connected October 1 successful retaliation for the assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and an Iranian general.

Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, person vowed to retaliate — spurring fears that the Middle East could beryllium dragged into an all-out determination war.

Earlier this month, Biden suggested that Israel should refrain from striking Iran’s atomic facilities oregon oilfields, but the Israeli authorities has repeatedly defied the US president’s nationalist warnings successful the past.

It is unclear erstwhile precisely the US’s THAAD strategy volition beryllium deployed to Israel. An unnamed US authoritative told CBS News that “around 100 troops” volition spell to the country.

Earlier connected Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Washington was “putting [the] lives of its troops astatine hazard by deploying them to run US rocket systems successful Israel”.

“While we person made tremendous efforts successful caller days to incorporate an all-out warfare successful our region, I accidental it intelligibly that we person nary reddish lines successful defending our radical and interests,” Araghchi wrote connected societal media.

While the US has said it favours diplomacy and a de-escalation successful the region, critics person noted that Washington offers Israel unwavering subject and diplomatic support.

The US provides Israel with astatine slightest $3.8bn successful subject assistance annually, and the Biden medication has authorised $14bn successful further assistance to its state since the Israeli subject began its warfare connected the Gaza Strip successful October of past year.

Israel besides precocious expanded its bombing run successful Lebanon, aft exchanging occurrence with Lebanese radical Hezbollah crossed the Israel-Lebanon borderline for months.

As tensions proceed to mount, the Biden medication has rebuffed calls to suspend weapons transfers to Israel to unit the state to extremity the wars successful Gaza and Lebanon.

[Al Jazeera]

Israel already uses 3 integrated rocket defence systems to intercept incoming rockets and missiles fired towards the country.

But the THAAD strategy that the US volition deploy to Israel has a greater scope than different systems and marks a “step up”, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reported from Washington, DC, connected Sunday.

“The important point, too, is that the [THAAD] systems are truthful analyzable that it requires a unit of 94 to run — a trained unit of 94 — and these volition beryllium US soldiers,” Hanna said.

“This is simply a strategy being enactment successful spot and it is simply a important measurement up of the US enactment for Israel arsenic this situation continues.”

Speaking to Al Jazeera, subject expert Elijah Magnier said helium believed the THAAD strategy announcement meant that the expected Israeli onslaught connected Iran is “not imminent”, arsenic the Israelis would privation the rocket defence strategy to beryllium successful spot earlier immoderate attack, which volition apt beryllium followed by different Iranian onslaught connected Israel.

The US antecedently deployed a THAAD artillery to Israel successful 2019 for grooming and an aerial defence exercise, the Pentagon said connected Sunday.

Biden besides directed the subject to nonstop 1 to the Middle East “to support American troops and interests successful the region” aft past year’s October 7 attacks by Hamas connected confederate Israel.