Advanced US missile system ‘in place’ in Israel: Pentagon
An advanced missile defence battery is now “in place” in Israel, US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has said, as Washington seeks to help shield the country against Iranian retaliation.
The deployment of the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system comes as Israel prepares to hit back against Iran for a major ballistic missile attack earlier this month, the second time Tehran directly targeted its arch foe this year.
“That system is in place,” Austin told reporters, according to a transcript of his remarks. “We’re not going to talk about … whether it’s operational or not, but we have the ability to put it into operation very quickly.”
The Pentagon announced on October 13 that it would deploy a THAAD battery to Israel. Spokesman Pat Ryder said last week that an advance team of US personnel and components for the battery had arrived, with more to follow soon.
The deployment of the THAAD battery puts the US troops who will operate it – as well as the highly costly system itself – on the ground in Israel and more directly in harm’s way.
Iran tells UN Biden signalled US approval, support for attack
Iran’s mission to the UN says that Biden has signalled “tacit approval and explicit support for Israel’s unlawful military aggression against Iran”, citing remarks by the US president in Germany last week.
“The United States will bear full responsibility for its role in instigating, inciting and enabling any acts of aggression by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran… as well as for the catastrophic consequences on regional and international peace and security,” Iran’s UN mission said in a letter to the Security Council.
Biden, on a visit to Berlin, also told reporters that he had an understanding of how and when Israel would respond to the missile attacks by Iran, without elaborating.
Biden ‘deeply concerned’ about release of documents on Israel’s possible attack plans
A White House spokesman says US President Joe Biden is “deeply concerned” after the release of classified documents on Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran. On Saturday, US officials confirmed that the administration was investigating an unauthorised release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said today that the US administration was still unsure whether the classified information that became publicly disclosed was leaked or hacked.
The documents are attributed to the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on October 1, which was a retaliation for the assassinations by Israel of senior Hezbollah, Hamas and Iranian officials.
The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted on the Telegram messaging app.
