The US’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system is heading to Israel, the Pentagon announced on October 15. Around 100 US soldiers are also being sent to Israel to operate the system, the US Department of Defense announced on Sunday. 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,” in order to “to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”
The last time the US deployed a THAAD battery to the region was following October 7 “to defend American troops and interests.” The THAAD system is made by US weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
This latest bout of military aid comes after extremely disturbing videos circulated social media depicting Palestinians being burned alive in their hospital beds after Israel targeted tents of displaced people inside the premises of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah city with incendiary bombs in the early hours of Monday, October 14.
The THAAD system has been at the center of major controversy among those who oppose US militarism around the world. In South Korea, the US installed THAAD in 2016, alleging that it was in response to North Korean missile testing. The THAAD deployment there has contributed to escalating military tensions between the DPRK, the US, and China, as the system would also collect information on Chinese military activity. The decades-long military presence of the US on the Korean peninsula, through the many US military installations and the tens of thousands of US troops, has been met with a mass anti-militarism and anti-imperialist movement within the country.
While the US continues to send military aid to Israel, the Biden administration has provided some acknowledgement of the popular demand for an arms embargo against Israel, especially in the wake of Monday’s shocking attack on Gaza. On Tuesday, October 15, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin sent a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, urging Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, in order to avoid consequences in terms of US military aid to Israel.
