The United States has deployed a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system and additional Patriot missile units to undisclosed locations in the eastern Mediterranean as a response to recent escalations involving Iran and its proxies in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The move is part of a broader strategy to enhance regional deterrence, improve force protection for U.S. forces in the area, and support the defence of Israel. Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, also ordered the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to join the USS Gerald D. Ford group in the Central Command area, with additional forces prepared for potential deployment to the region for contingency
planning.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, consisting of Iranian-backed militias, has carried out drone attacks on U.S. positions in Iraq, and Iran has expressed concerns about the situation in the region but appears to be preparing for a regional conflict rather than direct confrontation with Israel.
