The THAAD missile defense battery is reportedly now operational in Israel, sent by the US military to protect the country in case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack.
Around 100 US troops were expected to be deployed to operate the system, which is considered a complimentary system to the Patriot system but can defend a wider area, capable of hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).
The Kan broadcaster reports that the system is now operational in Israel, while the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya outlet quotes sources as saying that three batteries are functioning.
Iran has been bracing for an Israeli retaliation after its October 1 attack, which it said came in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon last month that killed the top leadership of the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy, and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head, Ismail Haniyeh.
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
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