Pentagon says to deploy THAAD battery to Israel

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United States will deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel in order to bolster the country's air defense in the wake of missile attacks from Iran, the Department of Defense said Sunday.

According to a statement issued by Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder, along with the deployment, which was authorized by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the direction of President Joe Biden, will be the dispatch of associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel.

While expected to "augment Israel's integrated air defense system," the THAAD deployment is "part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias," Ryder said.

The United States deployed a THAAD battery to the Middle East following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. Back in 2019, Washington also provided Israel with a THAAD battery "for training and an integrated air defense exercise," Ryder said in the statement.

The latest deployment came as Israel and the United States were in close communication to determine how Israel would respond to Iran's ballistic missile attack against Israel on Oct. 1.

Israel has yet to launch the retaliation, which the country's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has warned will be "deadly, precise and above all surprising."