U.S. to send air defense system and troops to Israel

Caption

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept rockets fired from Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, over Hadera, Israel. / AP

The Pentagon said Sunday it will send an air defense system along with about 100 U.S. troops to operate it.

President Biden told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to send Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery and crew to Israel, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Ryder said in a statement.

The deployment comes after two direct missile attacks from Iran against Israel on April 13 and Oct. 1. Israel has not yet responded to the latest missile attack.

“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," Ryder said in the statement.

The move puts U.S. troops closer to a growing and unfolding military conflict in the Middle East.

The U.S. previously sent the THAAD system to Israel for training in 2019 as well as shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that left around 1,200 dead.

Separately, the Trump administration ordered parts of THAAD to South Korea in 2017 as a counter against North Korean missile attacks. At the time, China opposed the deployment, saying the system's radar could provide a new way to spy on its military and that THAAD missiles could undercut China's nuclear deterrent.