The Pentagon has confirmed that the American THAAD missile defense system has arrived in Israel.
"Yesterday, October 14, an advance team of US military personnel and initial components necessary to operate the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in Israel," a statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder read.
"Over the coming days, additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel. The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines."
The statement stressed, "The deployment of the THAAD battery to Israel underscores the United States' commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran."
An earlier Pentagon statement explained that the THAAD will "augment Israel's integrated air defense system. 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 added that "this is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. The President directed the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the October 7th attacks 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."