By Global News Service
The United States’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system is heading to Israel, the Pentagon announced on October 15. Around 100 U.S. soldiers are also being sent to Israel to operate the system. According to the department, the THAAD system is being sent there “to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1.” The missile system will be used “to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias,” said the Pentagon.
The last time the U.S. deployed a THAAD battery to the region was following October 7, 2023, “to defend American troops and interests.” The THAAD system is made by U.S. weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The THAAD system has been at the center of major controversy among those who oppose U.S. militarism around the world. In South Korea, the U.S. installed THAAD in 2016, alleging this was in response to North Korean missile testing. The THAAD deployment there has contributed to escalating military tensions among the DPRK, the U.S., and China, as the system also collects information on Chinese military activity. The decades-long military presence of the U.S. on the Korean peninsula, through the many U.S. military installations and the tens of thousands of U.S. troops, has been met with a mass anti-militarism and anti-imperialist movement within South Korea.
from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service
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