Wall Street Journal: US air defense systems were deployed in 7 Arab countries over the weekend
About a dozen air defense and missile defense systems will be deployed in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf states this week amid a sharp increase in attacks on US forces ahead of Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon sent the THAAD missile defense system to Saudi Arabia, and Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
The US officials explained that these systems will be deployed later this week.
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder reported on Tuesday that the US military had begun deploying a battery of THAAD (Altitude Area Defense) missile defense systems and additional Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems in the Middle East.
According to him, these systems will be allocated to enhance the protection of American forces in the region.
On October 22, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of these assets in the Middle East.
The US Assad military base, in Anbar Governorate, western Iraq, has been subjected to rockets and drone attacks since October 19.
On October 20, an attack by two drones on an airport near Erbil (425 km from Baghdad) was repelled.
Iraqi air defense media were able to shoot down an air drone over the US Camp Victoria base, located near Baghdad International Airport.
