US says top missile defence system deployed to Israel
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense set-up aims to test the military’s agility, says spokesperson
Jerusalem — The US military has deployed its most advanced air and missile defence system to Israel for the first time, US and Israeli military officials said on Monday. The deployment, which began in March, was intended to test the US military’s ability to rapidly deploy such weapons around the world, said a spokesperson for US European Command. Citing security reasons, she declined to say how long it took to move the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which is built by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, to Israel from its home base of Fort Bliss, Texas. The move comes amid increased tensions between Israel and Iran over Israel’s bombing campaign in Syria and comments in which Iran’s foreign minister said he could not rule out the possibility of military conflict between the two countries. The US military said the decision to rapidly move the THAAD system to Israel was intended “as a demonstration of the US’s continued commitment to Israel’s regional security”. “THAAD i...
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