WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States has announced that it is deploying THAAD, a powerful anti-missile defense system, along with nearly 100 supporting troops to help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's recent attacks against Israel.
The THAAD Battery will augment Israel's integrated air defense system, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
'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. It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias,' the statement adds.
This is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. Last year, following the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, at President Joe Biden's direction, the U.S. military had deployed a THAAD battery to the Middle East to defend American troops and interests in the region.
The United States previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise.
Biden told reporters before Air Force One departure from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, that he gave permission for the THAAD to be deployed in Israel 'To defend Israel'.
The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, is a ground-based interceptor which has the capacity to shoot down ballistic missiles.
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