According to a US defense official and a source familiar with the conversations, Israel has requested an advanced missile defense system from the US. This request comes after the Pentagon announced the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel, along with approximately 100 US troops to operate the system. It is worth noting that the US has only 7 THAAD systems in its inventory, as reported by the Congressional Research Service.
The deployment of the THAAD battery to the Middle East occurred shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The Pentagon, however, did not disclose the specific location where the system would be stationed. The defense official mentioned that the request for the advanced missile defense system was made at least as early as the Israeli strike that resulted in the killing of Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
The killing of Nasrallah took place just days before Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. While a significant number of these missiles were intercepted, some managed to breach Israel's aerial defense network.
