According to Reuters, the announcement was made by Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder on October 13. More US military troops and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system will be transferred to Israel.
US President Joe Biden said the move was to protect allies from Israel's planned retaliation after suffering a barrage of missiles from Iran in early October.
Previously, Mr. Joe Biden called on Israel to remain calm and oppose attacks on nuclear targets and energy facilities in Iran to avoid war spreading throughout the Middle East.
Military experts say that considering Israel’s military capabilities, it is rare for the US to deploy troops to Israel without prior exercises. However, the US military has helped Israel counter many warships and a series of fighter jets from hostile forces in recent months.
THAAD is known as an important part of the US's multi-layered defense system. Israel's defenses, already formidable thanks to the Iron Dome system, promise to be significantly strengthened after the addition of THAAD.
The THAAD system is equipped with 8 truck-mounted launchers, each launcher contains 8 missiles and has modern radar. It takes at least 100 people to operate THAAD.
Although the US has not announced how THAAD will be deployed, Iran immediately warned that the lives of US soldiers would be in danger if they were allowed to directly operate THAAD in Israel.
In 2019, THAAD appeared in Israel for exercises and this was also the last time it appeared in the Middle East.
The US has spent more than $22 billion on military operations in the Middle East since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023. Of that, about $17.9 billion was in aid to the Israeli military and the rest was used to fund the US's war with the Houthis in the Red Sea.
The US currently has about 43,000 soldiers along with a series of warships, fighter jets and aircraft carriers in the Middle East to protect its ally Israel and international commercial waterways in the Red Sea.
