The Pentagon announced Sunday it will station a United States Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in Israel to assist the Jewish state in defending against missile intrusions.
U.S. military spokesperson Gen. Pay Ryder released a weekend statement confirming the positioning of the advanced weapons system, along with the personnel to operate it, “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.”
The decision will mark the first time U.S. forces will be stationed within Israeli territory since the start of the Hamas-led invasion on October 7, 2023.
A typical THAAD detachment of the type expected to be sent to the country includes six truck-mounted launchers, electronic systems, and 95 soldiers to operate and maintain the equipment.
The disclosure of the activation brought quick rebuttal from the Islamic Republic, with Tehran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, warning on social media that Washington “is now also putting the lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate U.S. missile systems in Israel.”
The decision follows recent discussions between White House officials and their counterparts in Jerusalem regarding a potential retaliatory strike against the theocracy, in response to an October 1 incursion during which the regime launched over 180 projectiles at various locations in Israel.
Ryder did not specify when the munitions would reach Israel or where they would be situated, but an unnamed official cited by The New York Times indicated it would take at least a week for the platform to enter service.
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