US installs anti-missile system in Israel and troops to operate it, Iran has already warned that American soldiers are in danger
The United States will install a high-altitude anti-missile defense system in Israel, which will be operated by US military personnel, following the attacks by Iran, the Pentagon announced today.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the measure was authorized by Defense Minister Lloyd Austin to “help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented strikes against Israel on April 13. and October 1st”.
The system in question is called “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system” (THAAD) and according to the Pentagon, cited by the “New York Times”around 100 soldiers will be needed.
On the night of October 1, Iran, an ally of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, at war with Israel, fired at least 180 missiles at Israel, some of which reached Israeli territory.
It was the second Iranian missile attack against Israel this year, after the one on the night of April 13.
According to the same Pentagon statement, an identical missile defense system was installed in Israel, a country supported by the United States, after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 and, before that, in 2019.
Israel has launched an offensive against Hamas, particularly in the Gaza Strip, since a year ago the Palestinian Islamist movement launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil, causing 1,200 deaths and more than 200 hostages, according to Israel.
Iran warns the US that its troops could be in danger if they go to Israel
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the United States this Sunday that its troops would be “in danger” if they went to Israel to manage the THAAD anti-aircraft system.
“The United States has sent a record number of weapons to Israel. Now, they are putting the lives of their troops in danger by sending them to manage an American missile system in Israel,” said Araghchi, in a message published on social network X.
The minister assured that the Iranians have made a “tremendous effort, in recent days, to contain an open war” in the region, but that Iran “has no red lines” when it comes to defending “its people and its interests”.
