On October 26, U.S. defense officials reported that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant following an Israeli strike against Iran. As the situation in the Middle East evolves, the two defense leaders are maintaining regular communication.
CNN highlighted that earlier in the day, the U.S. had deployed the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system to Israel, along with troops to operate the system, which is now in place to assist Israel in protecting itself from potential Iranian retaliation.
On October 21, Secretary Austin confirmed the deployment of the THAAD system in Israel. This move comes in the context of missile strikes Iran launched against Israel on April 13 and October 1, with Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder stating that the deployment aims to enhance Israel’s air defense capabilities.
The Pentagon further revealed that this is not the first time the U.S. has deployed the THAAD system to the Middle East. Following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, President Biden instructed the military to send a THAAD system to the region. The U.S. had also provided a THAAD system to Israel in 2019.
