Biden directs U.S. to send THAAD defense system to Israel

Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The United States will send a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to Israel to assist in its aerial defense, Lloyd Austin confirmed Sunday.

The defense secretary was instructed by President Joe Biden to give the Lockheed Martin-designed battery to Israel along with American troops to operate it, a Pentagon spokesperson said in a news release.

The U.S. Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment about whether such a system would be provided to Lebanon to aid in its defense from Israeli bombing by press time. More than 86,000 U.S. citizens reside in Lebanon.

The THAAD is being sent "to help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1," the news release reads.

"The THAAD Battery will augment Israel's integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States' ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran," the statement continued.

"It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias."