The Pentagon announced that the United States is sending troops to Israel to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the effort comes “at the direction of the President” and “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,” he explained.
The United States previously deployed a THAAD battery to the Middle East following last year’s October 7 attack on Israel to “defend American troops and interests in the region” as well as in 2019 for “training and an integrated air defense exercise,” Ryder added.
According to a document from the Congressional Research Service, the THAAD system uses “hit-to-kill” technology and is reportedly capable of “engaging targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers.” It adds that the THAAD battery “consists of 95 soldiers, six truck mounted launchers, 48 interceptors (eight per launcher), one Army/Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance and Control Mode 2 (AN/TPY-2) radar, and a Tactical Fire Control/Communications component.”
A U.S. official familiar with the matter told CBS News that around 100 troops will be deployed to Israel for the missile system. More than 40,000 U.S. troops are currently in the Middle East.
Last month, the United States sent a “small number of additional U.S. military personnel” to the region following “increased tension in the Middle East,” Ryder said at the time.
