The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a warning to Israel, cautioning against overconfidence in the anti-missile defense system sent by the United States. IRGC Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami argued that THAAD is a limited defense and that Israel’s reliance on it would not secure victory against potential reprisal attacks from the resistance front.
Salami stated, 'Do not trust THAAD’s pipes; these are limited. Shoot as much as you wish, your enemies will shoot many times more than you. You cannot win in this, and we will defeat you.' The comments come after the deployment of the US missile defense system to Israel along with scores of US military personnel to operate it.
The missile defense system sent by the United States to Israel is in place and ready for use when needed, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The defense system is one of the US military’s most powerful anti-missile weapons, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers and with a near-perfect success rate in testing.
THAAD is the only US missile defense system that can engage and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside or outside the atmosphere during their terminal phase of flight. The deployment of the defense system aims to bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s attacks against Israel in April and October.
