The Pentagon says the United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel along with troops needed to operate it. That word Sunday comes as Iran has warned Washington to keep its military forces out of Israel. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the battery at the direction of President Joe Biden. Ryder says the system will help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s ballistic missile attacks in April and this month. The delivery of the sophisticated missile defense system risks further inflaming the conflict in the Middle East, despite widespread diplomatic efforts to avoid an all-out war.
