US to send air defence battery and troops to Israel to bolster defences

The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel, the Pentagon said on Sunday, even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel.

Major General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that defence secretary Lloyd Austin authorised the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden.

Maj Gen Ryder said the system will help bolster Israel’s air defences following Iran’s missile attacks on the country in April and October.

The Iranian warning came in a post on the social platform X long associated with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who noted reports that the US was considering the deployment.

Israel is widely believed to be preparing a military response to Iran’s October 1 attack, when it fired roughly 180 missiles into Israel.

It was not immediately clear where the THAAD battery was coming from. The US deployed one of the batteries to the Middle East along with additional Patriot battalions to bolster protections for US forces in the region late last year after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.

Maj Gen Ryder also said that the US sent a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training.

According to an April report by the Congressional Research Service, the Army has seven THAAD batteries. Generally, each consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment and requires 95 soldiers to operate.

The THAAD is considered a complementary system to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometres (93 to 124 miles).