Biden to Send THAAD Missile Defense System to Israel, Rekindling Spat with China

The Pentagon announced on Sunday it would deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery for missile defense to Israel in response to incessant threats from Iran.

The announcement, welcomed favorably by the Israeli government, elicited loud objections from communist China, which has for years opposed the presence of a THAAD system in neighboring South Korea. While Seoul has emphasized that the purpose of the system in its country is to defend from any potential North Korean attack, THAAD’s capabilities allow it to penetrate deep into China to stop missiles targeting South Korea, which Beijing claims is a threat to its national security. The system has a range of up to 124 miles.

Chinese state media spent much of the early years of the THAAD deployment in South Korea organizing boycotts against South Korean companies and threatening the United States for aiding Seoul’s defenses against its allies in Pyonyang. Some reports indicated that state-controlled hackers attempted to break into the THAAD system to undermine its security.

While the threat North Korea poses to South Korea, and the deployment of THAAD in the region, is not directly related to the ongoing war between Israel and Iran-backed terrorist organizations in the Middle East, Chinese state media accused Washington of exacerbating tensions in the region by defending Israel.

The Department of Defense confirmed in a statement on Sunday that it had approved the deployment of THAAD to Israel, noting that it was not the first time the system was used there and that Iranian proxies – and Iran itself – have increased missile attacks on Israeli targets. The deployment, the Pentagon said, is meant to “help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1.”

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Iran fired an unprecedented missile barrage at Israel in April featuring hundreds of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed shortly after the attack that, thanks to its sophisticated defense system, “99 percent” of the projectiles missed. Iranian forces similarly launched hundreds of missiles against Israel in early October, most of which were again intercepted.

Deploying THAAD to ensure that Israeli forces can intercept future such attacks, the Pentagon said, “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 Pentagon will also deploy troops to operate the system. The statement did not specify how many American troops would accompany the THAAD system, but some reports indicate that the system requires 94 trained officers to operate. Al Jazeera, citing CBS News, reported that anonymous officials suggested “around 100 troops” would travel to Israel.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer welcomed the news, stating that the THAAD deployment “shows in deeds, not only in words, how our ally, the U.S., is willing” to help.

News of the THAAD deployment follows weeks of public pressure on Israel from the administration of leftist President Joe Biden to limit its self-defense operations in response to the 2023 Hamas massacre in its territory. On October 7 of that year, Hamas, and Iranian proxy terror organization, invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people, abducting 250 others, and engaging in gruesome acts including gang rape, infanticide, torture, and desecration of corpses. Israel declared war on Hamas the next day, as another Iranian proxy terror group, Hezbollah, began a campaign to kill civilians in northern Israel. Israeli forces are currently operating in Gaza to eliminate the Hamas threat and neighboring Lebanon to liberate northern Israel from Hezbollah’s attacks.

The Biden administration has pitched a “diplomatic” solution to the war for months, with little meaningful response from Israel or the terrorists. In early October, Biden appeared in the White House briefing room to appeal to Israel not to directly target Iranian oil fields in response to Iran’s latest missile barrage.

“Look, the Israelis have not concluded what they will do in terms of a strike. It’s under discussion. If I were in their shoes, I would be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields,” Biden said.

Some reports following those comments claimed that Biden administration officials were offering Jerusalem “compensation” in exchange for agreeing not to attack specific targets in Iran.

“The package would include a total guarantee of comprehensive diplomatic protection as well as a weapons package and was offered directly in return for holding off on striking certain targets in Iran,” Israel’s Kan11 news reported.

In a phone call on Sunday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin again pressed the Israeli government to back off of military action to protect its territory.

“The Secretary also reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces,” the Pentagon detailed in a readout, “and the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible.”

The Chinese government was among the first to react negatively to the news of the THAAD deployment through its state propaganda outlet the Global Times .

“If the US deploys a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in Israel, the regional crisis and ongoing conflicts could worsen as the deployment could further break the balance of power in the region,” the Chinese outlet proclaimed, citing state-approved “analysts,” on Sunday.

“If THAAD is deployed in the region, Iran’s deterrent toward Israel will be weakened and Israel will be able to conduct more direct and assertive actions against Iran and other regional countries without concern,” an anonymous “Beijing-based military expert” told the Global Times , describing this potential development negatively. “This would break the balance of power in the region and will force Tehran to take actions to prevent this from happening.”

The Times blamed Wahsington for what it called Israel’s “increasingly outrageous” self-defense actions.”

China was among the world’s most vocal opponents to the deployment of THAAD in South Korea announced in 2017, in response to North Korean threats.

“We oppose the deployment of the THAAD system in [South Korea] and urge relevant sides to immediately stop the deployment. We will firmly take necessary measures to uphold our interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at the time.

The Global Times , in turn, declared that China would “step by step make South Korea feel the pain and make the US realize its mistake” for taking a self-defense measure against North Korea, one of China’s top allies.

“The THAAD installation has offered China a crucial reason to increase and improve its tactical nuclear weapons,” it added. “It would be worth it if Beijing can comprehensively elevate its strategic nuclear power because of THAAD.”

China launched a campaign to boycott South Korean entertainment and to boycott products from the South Korean corporation Lotte Group, which agreed to offer land on which to install the THAAD system. Beijing also significantly limited tourism to South Korea to damage the nation’s economy in protest.

“I find it preposterous that China would try to influence South Korea to not get a weapon’s system that’s completely defensive against the very country that’s allied with China,” Adm. Harry Harris, head of Pacific Command at the time, said in response to China’s behavior.