Israel has vowed to respond after Iran lobbed some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, with the US seeking to coordinate with Jerusalem and temper its retaliation. A weekend report indicated that US officials think Israel has narrowed down its list of possible targets.
With Iran saying it will reply to any retaliatory action in kind, reports in Hebrew-language media over the weekend claimed that Washington was set to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense batteries to beef up Israel’s ability to fend off ballistic missiles, which Tehran’s proxies have also launched at Israel in recent months.
A US official speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity confirmed US President Joe Biden’s administration was considering transferring the systems to Israel, but said no decision had been made yet.
The US has a wide range of missile defense systems arrayed across the Middle East and Europe, including Patriot systems. Officials have been discussing for months what types of air defense systems to deploy to the region and where to put them. Any move of a THAAD to Israel would involve the deployment of soldiers to operate the complex system. READ MORE
