US deploying THAAD missile defence system, troops to Israel

In light of rising tensions with Iran, President Joe Biden’s administration continues to offer “ironclad” support for one of its top allies, according to the Pentagon’s announcement.

To help strengthen Israel’s air defenses, the US Department of Defense announced on Sunday that Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had authorized the sending of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) “battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel.”

“The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system. The Pentagon said in a statement that this action underscores the ironclad commitment to Israel’s defense and to protect Americans in Israel from any additional ballistic missile attacks by Iran.

In retaliation for the assassinations of Hamas, Hezbollah leaders, and an Iranian general, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel on October 1 in less than two weeks.

Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have pledged to retaliate, posing a risk of a regional war in the Middle East.

Biden made the suggestion earlier this month that Israel should avoid attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities or oilfields, but the Israeli government has repeatedly defied the US president’s repeated public warnings.

The exact date and location of Israel’s US THAAD system are unknown. &nbsp, An unnamed US official told CBS News that “around 100 troops” will go to the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier on Sunday expressed concern that Washington was “putting]the lives of its troops in danger by deploying them to Israel’s US missile systems.”

While we have made great strides in the past few days to stop a full-fledged war in our area, Araghchi wrote on social media that he believes there are no bounds to protecting our people and interests.

Despite the US’s claim that it favors diplomacy and a regional de-escalation, critics have noted that Washington offers unwavering military and diplomatic support to Israel.

Since Israel’s military launched its war on the Gaza Strip in October of last year, the US provides at least $3.8 billion in military aid to the US annually, and the Biden administration has authorized $1.4 billion in additional aid.

After months of fighting with Hezbollah across the Israeli-Lebanon border, Israel recently expanded its bombing campaign in Lebanon.

The Biden administration has rebuffed requests to halt weapons transfers to Israel in an effort to put pressure on the country to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Israeli missile defense systems are already in place to intercept incoming rockets and missiles headed their way by using three integrated missile defense systems.

But the THAAD system that the US will deploy to Israel has a greater range than other systems and marks a “step up”, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reported from Washington, DC, on Sunday.

“The important point, too, is that the]THAAD] systems are so complex that it requires a crew of 94 to operate — a trained crew of 94 — and these will be US soldiers”, Hanna said.

As the US response to the ongoing crisis increases, “This is a system being put in place.”

Military analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that the announcement of the THAAD system indicated that an Israeli attack on Iran was “not imminent,” as Israelis would want the missile defense system in place before any attack, which would most likely be followed by another Iranian attack on Israel.

The Pentagon reported on Sunday that the US had previously sent a THAAD battery to Israel for training and an air defense exercise.