The United States military for the first time deployed in Israel the advanced THAAD missile defense system as part of a joint exercise. According to the Israeli army, drills including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system aimed to “enhance coordination between the two militaries and to strengthen the ability to defend Israeli airspace.” Washington has held similar exercises in other countries in order to simulate and prepare for the danger posed by long-range ballistic missiles. “THAAD is the most advanced integrated air and missile defense system in the world, and this deployment readiness exercise demonstrates that U.S. forces are agile and can respond quickly and unpredictably to any threat, anywhere, at any time,” according to a statement by the U.S. army’s European Command. For his part, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu described the move as “further evidence of the U.S.’ commitment to Israel’s security.” It comes amid heightened tensions between the Jewish state and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is attempting to use its presence in Syria to smuggle advanced technologies to Hizbullah in Lebanon that can transform rudimentary projectiles into precision-guided rockets. Tehran also is under fire for its own ballistic missile program, which Washington views as a violation of international law.
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