U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Monday that the Terminal High Altitude Defense (THAAD) system has been deployed in Israel.
“We have the ability to put it into operation very quickly, and we’re on pace with our expectations,” the Pentagon chief told reporters before arriving in Ukraine for his fourth visit.
Austin approved the deployment of a THAAD battery and “associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on Oct. 1,” the Pentagon announced on Oct. 15.
THAAD is a mobile, anti-ballistic missile-defense system. U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the deployment—the third since 2019.
Around 100 U.S. soldiers are being used to staff the battery. According to reports on Friday, Jerusalem has requested a second THAAD.
“This decision was made as 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,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told the media on Oct. 15.
Austin spoke to Yoav Gallant, his Israeli counterpart, on Saturday to talk about the latest regional security developments.
“I reviewed wide-ranging U.S. force-posture adjustments, including the recent deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to reinforce Israel’s defenses in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hizballah, and Iranian proxies,” Austin tweeted following the conversation.
I spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Gallant today to discuss regional security developments. I reviewed wide-ranging U.S. force-posture adjustments, including the recent deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to reinforce Israel’s defenses in the face of…
— Archive: Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDefAustin) October 19, 2024
Jerusalem is planning a retaliatory strike against Iran after the Islamic Republic launched more than 180 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state on Oct. 1. Tehran has said that it will respond to any Israeli attack.
Biden told reporters on Friday that he knew how and when Israel will respond against Iran. However, Austin on Monday was more cautious, saying, “It’s hard to say exactly what that (Israel’s) strike will look like,” according to Reuters.
“At the end of the day, that’s an Israeli decision, and whether or not the Israelis believe it’s proportional and how the Iranians perceive it, I mean those may be two different things,” the military leader added.
“We’re going to do—continue to do—everything we can ... to dial down the tensions and hopefully get both parties to begin to de-escalate. So, we’ll see what happens,” Austin continued.
