"In southern Lebanon, Israel has been deliberately targeting healthcare facilities so extensively that nearly half of the medical centers in areas of conflict have already been closed. More UN peacekeepers have been wounded by Israeli fire as Israel continues to deliberately target staff from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The Israeli military is now saying they’re going to start attacking ambulances because the ambulances are Hezbollah.
And as horrifying as both these developing stories are, they’re going to be shifted to the back burner as soon as Israel begins its planned attack on Iran. As we discussed previously, Iran has already said it will respond to any further attacks by Israel with attacks of its own, and that its days of restraint in this stand-off are over.
The US now reportedly has boots on the ground in Israel, with American troops set to operate the THAAD anti-ballistic missile systems that are being sent by Israel’s superpower ally. It seems inevitable that the US will become further and further involved in this conflict the more Israel escalates against Iran, and nobody in the White House seems particularly invested in preventing it from doing so.
And of course the mass media are helping to pave the way toward this next war as well."
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/its-so-so-bad-and-its-about-to-get
US ‘putting troops’ lives at risk’ by sending them to Israel: Iran
From Press TV
Abbas Araghchi says the US is endangering the lives of its forces by deploying them to Israel to operate THAAD missile defense systems.
Oct 13th 2024 10:26am EDT
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?itok=PHsgD0xsUS troops will deploy to Israel – Pentagon
From RT
American forces will be sent to operate a missile defense battery ahead of a likely Israeli attack on Iran The US has ordered the deployment of a THAAD air defense system to Israel, along with a crew of American service members to operate it, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced on Sunday. The […]
Oct 13th 2024 2:36pm EDT
Source Link: https://www.rt.com/news/605659-us-troops-deploy-israel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
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Some 100 US Troops Will Deploy In Israel To Man Anti-Air Batteries
Some 100 US Troops Will Deploy In Israel To Man Anti-Air Batteries
On Saturday we were among the first outlets https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-troops-operate-thaad-anti-ballistic-missile-system-israel-army-radio
) amid the tense showdown with Iran.
The Pentagon in follow-up statements to the https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/politics/us-missile-defense-iran-israel.html
has confirmed the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems will be sent to Israel, and that about 100 American troops will operate them.
?itok=Mej3qi6w
This means that at least 100 American soldiers will be placed in positions likely to be targeted by another potential barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran, at a moment Israel is preparing its own counterattack in the wake of the the Oct.1st strikes (which witnessed about 200 missiles sent) on Israeli territory from the Islamic Republic. Each full missile battery and associated systems cost American taxpayers some $800 million to $1 billion.
All of this follows the Pentagon having weeks ago deployed thousands more US troops to the broader region amid escalation in Lebanon. Some of those forces were sent to Cyprus, and others likely to Gulf countries or possibly Jordan.
The Pentagon has tried to deflect from language which portrays the obvious: that without Congressional authorization American troops are entering an escalating overseas war zone to defend a foreign country.
The NY Times acknowledged the following https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/politics/us-missile-defense-iran-israel.html
:
When asked on Sunday, Mr. Biden said only that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy the system “to defend Israel. General Ryder said in his statement that the battery would “augment Israel’s integrated air defense system.” It was not immediately clear how quickly the missile defense system and troops announced on Sunday would arrive in Israel.
“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 said. “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.”
So interestingly this is the new talking point from the national security state: Americans are being deployed to defend Americans who happen to still be in Israel. This certainly marks a new and interesting rationale.
This big "gift" is being sent to Israel even after rising tensions between Netanyahu and Biden...
So by deploying THAAD to Israel, we're not really solving the problem, just incentizing Iran to build up more missiles. So what we are actually doing is tieing ourselves further into the Israel-Iran missile/BMD race for only short term benefits.
— Decker Eveleth (@dex_eve) https://twitter.com/dex_eve/status/1845496203984707852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
One regional observers has observed that this is Netanyahu's longtime https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-troops-to-israel
:
Journalist Séamus Malekafzali https://twitter.com/Seamus_Malek/status/1845504726479376429
the U.S. deployment of troops and the THAAD system shows that "the Israelis are clearly planning something for Iran that is going to cause a retaliation they know their own systems are unable to take."
"U.S. troops being deployed to Israel in this matter is seismic," Malekafzali added. "The U.S. military is now inextricably involved in this war, directly, without any illusions of barriers. Netanyahu is as close as he has ever been to his ultimate wish: making the U.S. fight Iran on Israel's behalf."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday had actually issued some soft criticism of Israel after two UN peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon were wounded by Israeli fire an a https://unifil.unmissions.org/
command post.
Austin "expressed his deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers" in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart.
Netanyahu has spent a year treating Biden like a doormat, Biden is nonetheless sending American troops to protect Israel, and afterwards Biden will probably go back to pretending as if America has no meaningful leverage over Israel https://t.co/YNrHoxkb8y
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) https://twitter.com/glcarlstrom/status/1845499417974948044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As for the missile battery contingent of 100 US troops being sent to Israel, likely there were already US special forces and commanders who have been in Tel Aviv and near Gaza in an "advisory" role. But this clearly marks a new much more direct role of US forces in the conflict, especially given the Iranians have already threatened that if hostilities escalate, anti-air batteries in Israel will come under attack.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sun, 10/13/2024 - 15:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/some-100-us-troops-will-deploy-israel-man-anti-air-batteries
BILLION$ FOR MISSILES, CRUMS FOR AMERICA
THAAD: THE LATEST U.S. GIFT TO ISRAEL'S ALREADY BLOATED MILITARY
Here we go again: The U.S. has decided to throw 1 billion dollars at Israel’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system—an outdated relic that Israel doesn’t even need. THAAD is another expensive toy for a military that already boasts Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3—systems that do the job just fine.
[To illustrate this redundancy, the comparison table in the below section shows how THAAD stacks up against Israel’s other air defense systems, further highlighting the inefficiency of deploying this outdated relic.]
{Israel’s Arsenal: Already Enough And Then Some}
Let’s not pretend Israel is defenseless. It has Iron Dome to intercept short-range rockets at 50 million dollars per battery, David’s Sling for medium-range threats, and Arrow 3 for ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere—all of which outperform THAAD (see Ref #2). Yet, the U.S. feels the need to donate another billion-dollar system—because maybe one day, Iron Dome’s 90% success rate just won’t cut it?
The irony is hard to ignore. Israel’s arsenal is more diverse, modern, and capable than ever before. The THAAD system, meanwhile, is not only 30-year-old tech but completely unnecessary for the current threats Israel faces. Why throw taxpayer money at a system that won’t make a difference when Israel already handles every missile thrown its way?
{Iran’s Attack In October 2024: Even The Best Systems Struggle}
Then there’s Iran’s recent missile barrage—over 200 ballistic missiles launched at Israel (see Ref #3). Despite Israel’s advanced multi-layer defense, about half of the customized ballistic missiles slipped through, causing damage and panic. Even with the best systems in place—systems far more capable than THAAD—missiles breached Israel’s defenses.
So why are we wasting billions on a system that wouldn’t have stopped the October 2024 Iranian retaliation attack anyway? Adding THAAD into Israel’s already overflowing defense stack isn’t about protection—it’s about optics. It’s a billion-dollar marketing showpiece, paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
{America’s Own Struggles: FEMA’s Funding Crisis}
Here’s the kicker: While the U.S. is gifting billion-dollar defense systems to Israel, back home, FEMA is running out of money. Just this month, FEMA had 20 billion dollars in its Disaster Relief Fund, and within one week, nearly half of it was gone. Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the southeastern U.S., and FEMA is already warning that they won’t have enough to cover the rest of the season (see Ref #4).
1 billion dollars for a useless THAAD system could have been spent on disaster recovery, rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes, and funding the 500 billion dollars needed to repair crumbling U.S. schools (see Ref #2). But no, instead, that money will sit in a hangar, waiting to be deployed in a country that already has the most sophisticated missile defense systems in the world.
In parallel, the U.S. National Education Association (NEA) had called for a massive $500 billion investment to repair and upgrade American public school infrastructure. This figure starkly contrasts with the $6 trillion the U.S. has spent on wars since 2001. The THAAD deployment to Israel, costing $1 billion just for initial setup and $30-50 million annually to operate, is emblematic of the misplaced priorities that could otherwise fund urgent domestic needs, like modernizing schools or improving healthcare (See Ref 2).
Isn't this useless gift more crucial for a better, more secure future for Americans, rather than financing a missile system that Israel does not need, given its already superior defense capabilities?
{Lebanon: We’re Still Standing}
And while the U.S. burns money on Israeli war machine systems that don’t matter, here in Lebanon, we fight on. Our homes destroyed, our people displaced, yet we still believe. Every day, we see our children playing on the sidewalks, families living on the streets after losing their homes to Israeli airstrikes, and still, we persist. They haven’t given up, so neither will we.
Meanwhile, the U.S. funnels billions into a war machine that perpetuates this destruction, while millions of Americans at home go without the resources they desperately need. It’s beyond irony—it’s tragedy.
{THAAD Won’t Save Israel. Justice Will.}
Throwing money at missile systems won’t bring security. It won’t solve the conflict. What will? Justice, accountability, and the end of occupation and aggression. But until that day comes, we’ll keep standing, and we’ll keep fighting for what’s right. Because no amount of THAAD missiles will silence us, and no billion-dollar gift will buy Israel the security it seeks through dominance.
{References}
1. "Exposing Expansionism: The Greater Israel Ideology and Its Threat to Lebanon"
https://primal.net/e/note1h5mka24ayu0pagxczxqqm4u7eavl8wnpkgkstgwwpgnkvtthfj7qsqf3sk
2. "U.S. Military Aid and Support to Israel: The Financial Burden on American Taxpayers"
https://primal.net/e/note193t0lg9ek60v3ty20ge8lmyvnkvny5nk37da3symj6ux3ad7d7asy3u953
3. "Iranian Missile Attack and Israel's Response"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-fires-181-missiles-at-israel/
4. "FEMA's Funding Crisis After Hurricane Helene"
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/10/politics/fema-disaster-funding-congress-explainer/index.html
#MiddleEast #Israel #Palestine #Gaza #Lebanon #Beirut #Syria #Yemen #Iraq #FEMA #THAAD #Pentagon
