US may send Israel THAAD missile defense, as Iran seeks to ward off Israeli retaliation

No decision made yet on deployment of advanced air defense battery, which would require US troops to operate; Washington reported to think Israel is zeroing in on possible targets

In this image courtesy of DVIDS, a US Air Force Airmen offloads a THAAD launcher from a C-17 GlobeMaster III at Nevatim Air Base, Israel for an exercise, March 1, 2019. (Robert DURR / DVIDS / AFP)
In this image courtesy of DVIDS, a US Air Force Airmen offloads a THAAD launcher from a C-17 GlobeMaster III at Nevatim Air Base, Israel for an exercise, March 1, 2019. (Robert DURR / DVIDS / AFP)

The US is mulling sending Israel an advanced anti-ballistic missile defense system operated by American troops to protect the country in case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack, an US official said Saturday.

Israel has vowed to respond after Iran lobbed some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, with the US seeking to coordinate with Jerusalem and temper its retaliation. A weekend report indicated that US officials think Israel has narrowed down its list of possible targets.

With Iran saying it will reply to any retaliatory action in kind, reports in Hebrew-language media over the weekend claimed that Washington was set to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense batteries to beef up Israel’s ability to fend off ballistic missiles, which Tehran’s proxies have also launched at Israel in recent months.

A US official speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity confirmed US President Joe Biden’s administration was considering transferring the systems to Israel, but said no decision had been made yet.

The US has a wide range of missile defense systems arrayed across the Middle East and Europe, including Patriot systems. Officials have been discussing for months what types of air defense systems to deploy to the region and where to put them. Any move of a THAAD to Israel would involve the deployment of soldiers to operate the complex system.

According to an April report by the Congressional Research Service, the US Army has seven THAAD batteries. The system is considered complementary to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area, hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with US Ambassador David Friedman as they tour a deployment of the US THAAD anti-missile defense system, March 6, 2019. (Matty Stern/US Embassy Jerusalem)

Generally, each consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.

A year ago, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of a THAAD battery and additional Patriot battalions to locations around the Middle East to increase the protection of US forces and to aid in the defense of Israel.

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. It also launched ballistic missiles at Israel in April.

According to an NBC News report Saturday, US officials believe Israel has narrowed down its list of possible targets to military and energy infrastructure in Iran.

There is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the report said citing unnamed US officials, adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.

The remains of a missile fired from Iran into Israel, seen in the forests of Safed, October 6, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Iran has sent messages to the US via Qatar that it will retaliate if it is attacked, CNN reported Saturday. The network cited a deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps threatening that any attack on its energy infrastructure could result in Tehran targeting energy installations in Israel. Iran claims its previous attacks, which were largely ineffective, have only targeted military facilities.

The US is reportedly pressing Israel against retaliating against Iran’s nuclear facilities or energy infrastructure, fearing an escalating tit-for-tat between the regional powers. US officials quoted by US media in recent days have expressed frustration with Israel’s lack of transparency regarding its plans, though Israeli and US officials indicated late last week that the sides were moving closer together after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Biden spoke by phone Wednesday.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to troops during a drill in northern Israel, September 24, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been scheduled to fly to the US last week to hold meetings on the matter with his counterpart Austin, but Netanyahu put the brakes on the trip until after he spoke with Biden and the cabinet was able to discuss retaliation plans. Reports have indicated a trip could take place early this week, but as of Friday, no visit had yet been okayed, the Prime Minister’s Office told The Times of Israel.

“There is a desire from the Israelis to coordinate with the Americans” over the response, and that strategic discussions continue between the sides,” an Israeli source told The Times of Israel on Friday, following what was described as an inconclusive cabinet meeting the night before.

Aside from threatening to hit back, Iran has also embarked on a diplomatic blitz seeking to line up support and keeping regional countries from supporting a US or Israeli attack, with officials in the country nervous that Washington will be unable to successfully restrain Jerusalem, according to CNN.

The report indicated that Iran has put significant effort into enlisting Saudi Arabia to help stave off an Israeli attack by trying to convince it to intercede on its behalf. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Riyadh last week for meetings with the kingdom’s powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Riyadh, October 9, 2024. (Saudi Press Agency / AFP)

Tehran has also threatened Saudi Arabia, along with Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, that it will attack the kingdom next if an Israeli-US retaliatory action against Iran goes through its territory or airspace, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing Arab officials.

The backchannel threats, described as vague, have raised concerns among the Arab states that Iran could attack key oil infrastructure there as well.

On Saturday, CNN reported that Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi had informed Washington and Tehran that they would not allow an Israel to use their airspace in an attack on Iran, citing an Arab official. Amman said it would protect its airspace from any intrusion regardless of origin, CNN quoted a Jordanian official saying.

Iranians burn Israeli and US flags during an anti-Israel rally in Tehran, on October 8, 2024. (AFP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan Friday, with the two leaders vowing to continue to cement ties and establish a joint bulwark against the West.

“We actively work together in the international arena, and our assessments of current events in the world are often very close,” Russia’s state-run TASS news cited Putin as telling Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a conference in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat.

Pezeshkian, according to Iranian state-run media outlet IRNA, noted that Iran and Russia had significant complementary capacities and could assist each other. “Our positions in the world are much closer to each other than to others,” he was quoted as telling the Russian leader.

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