The United States is racing to deploy anti-ballistic missile systems across the Middle East in preparation for the Muslim world’s reaction to Israel’s impending ground war in Gaza in response to Hamas’ brutal October 7 terrorist attack. Over 1,200 Israelis were murdered, raped, and kidnapped by over 1,000 Hamas terrorists who invaded Southern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now leads a unity government, where a state of war has been declared with one goal: the destruction of Hamas. This operation has led to the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of reservists deployed for a campaign that could take years. Hamas is said to have 40,000 terrorists hiding among a vast array of tunnels in Gaza. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has vowed all-out war should Israel invade, prompting Netanyahu to threaten that terror group with total annihilation.
Hamas has an arsenal of rockets that Israel’s Iron Dome can neutralize, but Hezbollah's ballistic missiles are another story. By proxy, we also must worry about Iran, which has already attacked US personnel in Iraq via Tehran-backed militias. As the United States moves carrier strike groups into position, we’re also deploying THAAD defense systems in anticipation of the onslaught that could come from a regional war (via WSJ):
According to U.S. Defense Officials, the Army is currently Scrambling to Deploy at least 12 Air Defense Systems to the multiple Countries across the Middle East before the Israeli Invasion of the Gaza Strip is set to soon begin; a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)… pic.twitter.com/2718xpriDV
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 24, 2023
A Dance of Deterrence
— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) October 24, 2023
- U.S. naval fleet + forces massing near Israel
- IKE carrier strike group redirected to Middle East
- Uptick in attacks from Iranian-backed proxy groups
- Destroyer USS Carney intercepts missiles + drones fired from Yemen
New map, thread, + latest news: pic.twitter.com/WhxJu5LCf0
The U.S. is scrambling to deploy nearly a dozen air-defense systems to countries across the Middle East ahead of Israel's expected land invasion of Gaza, deploying missile launchers to Iraq, Syria and the Gulf, U.S. officials said. The Pentagon is sending a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, to Saudi Arabia, and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Biden administration had pulled some of the same systems out of the region as recently as the last couple years, based on projections that the region had stabilized. But a spate of attacks against American forces in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf in recent days has triggered alarm inside the U.S. that the ground attack of Gaza by Israel could spark a new wave of attacks against American forces. The Pentagon said Saturday night that the systems would head to the region but didn't say which countries.
One could guess that Israel would hold off invading until these systems are deployed, adding a layer of protection against incoming missiles that will be launched against the Jewish state once the first IDF troopers enter Gaza. There’s also the hostage crisis, though it wouldn’t shock me if most of the reported 199 in Gaza are already dead.
We’ll keep you updated.
BREAKING: Two dozen service members were injured last week from the drone and rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, a U.S. CENTCOM spokesperson told Fox News - via @Liz_Friden
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) October 24, 2023
Join the conversation as a VIP Member