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The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that the first components of a U.S. missile defense system aimed at protecting Israel from attacks by Iran have arrived in the Middle East and that it will be "fully operational" soon.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Monday, "an advance team of U.S. military personnel and initial components necessary to operate the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in Israel.
"Over the coming days, additional U.S. military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel," he continued. "The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines.
"The deployment of the THAAD battery to Israel underscores the United States' commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran," Ryder added.
US TO DEPLOY MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM, MILITARY PERSONNEL TO ISRAEL
A U.S. Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense weapon system is seen on Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in Oct. 2017. (Reuters/U.S. Army/Capt. Adan Cazarez)
The deployment comes after Iran and its proxy terrorist groups launched massive waves of missiles against Israel earlier this year in April and again on Oct. 1.
THAAD has previously been deployed to Israel in 2019, but only for an exercise, Pentagon officials say.
DEADLY ISRAEL SHOOTING RULED A TERRORIST ATTACK
The THAAD system is shown here being loaded onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, in Feb. 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/U.S. Air Force/AP)
"It 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," the Pentagon said in a statement on Sunday.
Around 100 U.S. troops are being sent to Israel to operate the THAAD system.
The THAAD missile defense system is shown here being tested in Kodak, Alaska, in July 2017. (Leah Garton/Missile Defense Agency/Reuters)
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President Biden was asked why he approved the deployment on Sunday, and he replied by saying "To defend Israel."
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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