Palestinians search for casualties at the scene of an Israeli attack on a house in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, October 21, 2023.Reuters/Ibrahim Abu Mustafa Obtaining license rights
WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) – The United States will send the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and an additional Patriot air defense missile system battalion to the Middle East in response to recent U.S. military attacks, the Pentagon said on Saturday. . region.
In recent weeks, the United States has sent significant naval forces to the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, their support ships, and about 2,000 Marines.
As tensions in the region rise during the Israel-Hamas war, the US government is increasingly wary of the activities of Iranian-backed groups.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “After detailed discussions with President Joe Biden regarding the recent escalation by Iran and its proxies across the region, today I am committed to further strengthening the Department of Defense’s posture in the region. We have ordered a series of additional measures.” said in a statement.
Austin said additional troops were being deployed under a deployment readiness order, but he did not say how many. The Pentagon already has about 2,000 troops at peak readiness in case they need to deploy to the region.
Austin added, “These actions will strengthen regional deterrence efforts, strengthen force protection for U.S. forces in the region, and support the defense of Israel.”
The deployment comes two years after the Biden administration withdrew air defense systems from the Middle East in a bid to ease tensions with Iran.
Patriot is considered one of the United States’ most advanced air defense systems, but it is typically in short supply and allies around the world are vying for it.
The THAAD system is equipped with a powerful radar. The U.S. deployment of the system in South Korea in 2016 angered China, which believed it could peer into its airspace.
Since the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have increased sharply. Last week, U.S. warships shot down more than a dozen drones and four cruise missiles fired by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis.
On October 7, Israel attacked Gaza after a cross-border attack by Islamic Movement militants on southern Israel killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in shocking violence that traumatized Israel. began a “full-scale encirclement” of
Gaza’s health ministry said Saturday that Israeli airstrikes and missile attacks have killed at least 4,385 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, and displaced more than 1 million of the tiny territory’s 2.3 million people. .
Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart.Editing: William Mallard
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