The US has confirmed that the deployment of additional missile defense systems and troops to the Middle East is to deal with new attacks there.
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| Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. (Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN) |
The US Department of Defense announced on October 21 that it will deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system and additional Patriot air defense missile battalions to the Middle East. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed that the move came after he had a discussion with US President Joe Biden.
In addition, Mr. Austin said the country's Ministry of Defense is mobilizing additional soldiers ready to deploy to the area, but did not give detailed numbers.
THAAD is a ballistic missile defense system manufactured by Lockheed Martin, designed to intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase of flight.
The first THAAD battery was deployed to the US military in 2008. These systems are now present in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel, Romania and South Korea.
The presence of THAAD in South Korea has been harshly criticized by China. In 2016, Beijing restricted trade and banned the import of cultural products and services from Seoul to protest THAAD.
In 2022, Chinese officials said the systems “undermine the country’s strategic interests.” Shortly afterward, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his South Korean counterpart Park Jin agreed to “respect each other’s legitimate concerns.” South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, however, said THAAD policy would not change in response to China’s objections, and that the system’s wide-range radar would not be used to counter Beijing.
In another development, a source from the Iraqi security forces said that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked the Ain al-Assad air base in the western province of Anbar on October 21. This is where the US-led coalition forces are stationed. However, the US Department of Defense has not yet confirmed this information.
Another source said the attack involved two UAVs, one of which was intercepted and the other crashed due to technical problems. Immediately after the incident, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq posted a statement on its Telegram channel, claiming responsibility for the attack.
Recently, many armed groups have increased threats to attack US interests in Iraq due to Washington's supportive stance towards Israel after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Since October 18, three Iraqi military bases used by the US-led coalition have been the target of five separate attacks. The US currently has 2,500 troops stationed at the three bases, along with 1,000 troops from other countries in the coalition formed to fight the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
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