Above photo: US Army Europe.
The Iranian foreign minister warned that US military leaders are ‘risking their soldiers’ lives.
The US military will send a missile defense battery and troops to operate it in Israel, the Pentagon said on 13 October, amid warnings from Iran that Washington should keep all US military forces out of Israel.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery at the direction of President Joe Biden, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The US is seeking to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following a large-scale Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israeli airbases on 1 October. Tehran launched the ballistic missile barrage in retaliation for multiple aggressions carried out by Tel Aviv, including the assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in July and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on 27 September.
“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,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a warning to US leaders in a statement on X, saying they were risking their soldiers’ lives by sending them to Israel.
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.
While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it… pic.twitter.com/wX16CnhT1A
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) October 13, 2024
“The US has been delivering record amounts of arms to Israel. It is now also putting the lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate US missile systems in Israel. While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests,” Araghchi stated.
The AP notes that according to an April report by the Congressional Research Service, the US military has seven THAAD batteries. Each consists of six truck-mounted launchers, holds 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.
The THAAD is considered a complementary system to the Patriot missile defense system, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers.
Israeli leaders claim they are preparing to launch a harsh military response to the Iranian attack, including possibly bombing Iran’s nuclear energy program.
However, a New York Times report from 7 October cast doubt on this claim, saying that “former and current senior Israeli officials acknowledged doubts about whether the country has the capability to do significant damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.”