US Sending Antimissile System, Crew To Israel To Bolster Defenses Against Iran

The U.S. is sending Israel a sophisticated anti-missile system and the crew needed to operate it, prompting an Iranian official to warn that America was putting the "lives of its troops at risk."

President Joe Biden directed the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery and military personnel to "help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's unprecedented attacks" on April 13 and Oct. 1, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Sunday.

"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," Ryder said in a prepared statement.

"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 THAAD system, manufactured by defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, is a truck-mounted battery of radar, communications gear and a launcher with eight interceptors that can be fired and quickly reloaded, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency website.

It's designed to destroy incoming warheads during their final phase of flight, either inside or outside the atmosphere.

Ryder noted that the U.S. sent a THAAD system to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that sparked the latest Mideast war and also sent one to Israel in 2019 for training and a military exercise.

In response to the Pentagon's announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media, "The US has been delivering record amount of arms to Israel."

It is "now also putting lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate US missile systems in Israel," Araghchi warned. "While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests."

Iran made its first direct attack against Israel on April 13 by launching more than 300 missiles and drones that prompted Israel to respond by partially destroying a long-range air defense system in Iran.

Israel has yet to respond to the Oct. 1 Iranian attack that involved some 180 missiles, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Iran "made a big mistake" and "will pay for it."

It wasn't immediately clear where the THAAD battery was coming from or when it would arrive in Israel, the Associated Press reported.

An Israeli army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, declined to provide a timeline but thanked the U.S. for its support, AP said.