இலங்கையில் 'இயற்கை அனர்த்தம்'- ஒரு இலட்சத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் பாதிப்பு.

 

Climate & the will to adapt

15 Oct 2024  The Morning Editorial

Climate change is back in the spotlight these days, and science is painting a scary picture of what’s in store for the future. While Sri Lanka finds herself rearranging her order of polity and managing an economic crisis, one could hardly blame Sri Lankans for being focused on anything but nature at present. 

However, turning a blind eye to climate change and the resultant adverse weather events is not something we ‘islanders’ can afford to do. This, while international organisation and the global intelligencia point to worsening impacts of global warming. For some time now, science has demanded that the world achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. While that may be a lofty goal for nations such as Sri Lanka, given that we will likely bear the brunt of the impact, Sri Lankan can’t afford to lose focus on this issue.  

With five days of strong rains, Sri Lanka’s flood prone regions are once again affected. This has become an annual ‘event’ and despite cost in lives, property damage, and economic impacts the weather brings each year, only few State entities take the issue seriously. It has been observed that only the local government agencies, the Ceylon Electricity Board and Irrigation Department, the armed forces and to some degree specialised agencies like the ‘Disaster Management Centre’ have taken note and have action plans in place. It is tragic that the larger state apparatus and the law-making community have not come up with a concrete action plan or a national strategy (one that’s not changed every few years, or with each new subject matter minister) to address the issue, build resilience and reduce the impact of such annual adverse weather incidents.

As a small island, Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Around 50% of the county’s 22 million citizens live in low-lying coastal areas, most are at major risk of the future increase in the sea level.

Sri Lanka records losses reaching hundreds of million dollars each year due to climate-related disasters. As such, is it not prudent for a country and Government that is now fixated on economic stability and growth to ensure that Sri Lanka formulate a well-debated and research-based national policy on climate change and combatting its ill effects? However, this needs the topic to be elevated to ‘centre stage’ of Sri Lanka’s political discourse. Therefore, why not do such now, when Sri Lanka is in a transitional stage – politically speaking? Given the transition in Sri Lankan polity, this may be a good opportunity to see bipartisan support for a national policy. One that everyone can get on board.

However, while we need broad consensus on such matters, the national response to climate change should be kept out of ‘politics’. The policy itself should be drafted by subject matter experts, with wide stakeholder consultations (both state and non-state entities). Perhaps the time is right for an independent climate change-related institution to lead the discourse about it, and to help the Government to develop a national policy framework. Such a framework should address the full spectrum of issues of climate change – from resilience, preparedness, adaptability and to response. We need to draft a policy which will transcend one or two governments, and perhaps be one which can be effective for the next 15 to 30 years. Sri Lanka has benefited from long-term projects before. Therefore, there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.

In doing so, Sri Lanka will have to face the challenge of investing in research, a long-standing shortcoming of governance. However, investing in research is not something that can be put off anymore. We need a lot of planning. Sri Lanka has already been a country that led the way in responding to the climate over the last two millennia, where kings built hundreds of village tanks and reservoirs, and that was a response to drought. We have this intricate network of irrigation systems across the country, which have given us resilience to climate change. Therefore, we must do so again⍐. 

தினப்பொறி17- பொதுக்கட்டமைப்பு தற்போது இல்லை சிதறிவிட்டது-நிலாந்தன்

 

More than 100 Lankan peacekeepers under fire in Lebanon war

More than 100 Lankan peacekeepers under fire in Lebanon war

UNIFIL in stand-off with Israel over demand for withdrawal, as two Lankan soldiers are wounded

By Dilushi Wijesinghe and Mimi Alphonsus

The United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) command centre in Naqoura, Southern Lebanon, which was attacked from air and ground by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday, injuring two Sri Lankan soldiers serving at the base, is facing a standoff with Israeli authorities over a demand they should move from the border area where they are stationed.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are demanding the UN Peacekeepers withdraw from the base, claiming Hezbollah cadres are firing at advancing ground forces from its surroundings. UNIFIL is refusing to vacate the base. The base was attacked twice in 48 hours.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP news service Israel had asked UNIFIL to withdraw from positions “five kilometres (three miles) from the ‘Blue Line’ separating both Israel and Lebanon, but the peacekeepers have refused to do so. There are 125 Sri Lankan soldiers billeted at the command centre under the UN flag as the Israeli army made incursions into Lebanon over the week. UNIFIL has some 9,500 troops from various nationalities and is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

About 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are stationed in Lebanon,
alongside around 800 civilian staff

Five UN Blue-Helmets have been wounded so far. One of the two injured Sri Lankan soldiers underwent surgery on his neck and is recovering.

Friday’s attack on the UNIFIL headquarters drew global condemnation on Israel. US President Joe Biden yesterday said that he is “absolutely, positively” asking the Israeli military to stop targeting UN peacekeepers. Irish President Michael Higgins, whose country’s troops are part of the mission, said the Israeli demand for the entire UNIFIL to withdraw from Lebanon was “outrageous”.

In Colombo, the Foreign Ministry praised its brave soldiers serving under the UN flag and “strongly condemned” the attack and said that “Sri Lanka upholds the obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and the inviolability of UN premises at all times.”

Hours after UN peacekeepers were targeted, an Israeli airstrike killed two Lebanese soldiers, which Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said could be a potential war crime as Israel is escalating its war campaign in the West Asian region.

Army Media Spokesman Rasika Kumara told the Sunday Times one of the injured Sri Lankan peacekeepers is undergoing treatment at the UN base hospital itself, while the other was admitted to the Jabal Amel Hospital located about 20 km from the base for a minor surgical procedure.

“This morning the force commander and his contingent commander also visited him,” said Maj. Gen. Kumara, assuring that the wounded peacekeepers were out of danger.

“The target was not the UN base. It was a shrapnel that came from an air strike. They cannot differentiate it because air strikes, ground assaults, and artillery assaults were launched simultaneously. They suspect it is an air strike, not on the base but on the Naquora village,” Maj. Gen. Kumara said. “The peacekeepers were at a guard post in the bunker when the attack took place about 100-150 metres away.”

According to a UNIFIL statement, however, this was the second explosion to affect the UN base at Naquora in 48 hours. “Today [October 11], several T-walls at our UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF caterpillar hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position,” the UNIFIL statement said.

“This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times.”

The Sri Lankan embassy is in close contact with UNIFIL and monitoring the situation. Sri Lankan peacekeepers, including the two injured, are under the care of UNIFIL, said Ambassador Kapila Jayaweera from Lebanon.

According to Lebanon’s official National News Agency, an Israeli Merkava tank targeted one of UNIFIL’s observation towers on the main road connecting Tyre to Naqoura, in front of a Lebanese Army checkpoint, injuring the Sri Lankan contingent stationed there.

It said Israeli artillery fired a shell that struck the main entrance of the UNIFIL command centre in Naqoura, causing damage to the site.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,351 people, injuring over 3,800 others, and displacing more than 1.2 million people⍐.

Sunday Times  October 13, 2024

இஸ்ரேலிய படைக் கலங்களோடு அமெரிக்காவின் `THAAD` இணைதல் எவ்வளவு முக்கியத்துவம் வாய்ந்தது?

A drill reloading and unloading missiles in a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
system trainer at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (Photo: ABACA via Reuters)

How Significant Is the US’ THAAD Deployment to Israel?

Something big is coming, and whatever it is, there’s now a heightened chance that the US will become directly involved.

The Pentagon confirmed that it’ll dispatch nearly 100 troops to Israel to operate one of its premier air defense systems, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), of which it only has seven in total. This comes ahead of Israel’s expected retaliation to Iran’s latest missile strike on the first of the month that it carried out to restore deterrence after the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Here’s what this latest US move signifies:

The US’ THAAD deployment to Israel is a worrying step because it suggests that, that something big is coming, and whatever it is, there’s now a heightened chance that the US will become directly involved.

1. Israel Is Probably Planning Something Big

Rumors have abounded about what exactly Israel is planning, but it’s probably something big and will provoke at least proportional retaliation from Iran, hence why the self-professed Jewish State requested that the US deploy one of its few THAADs to help defend it afterwards. THAAD specializes in intercepting ballistic missiles so it can be intuited that Israel and the US expect Iran to respond through these means. THAAD only carries 48 interceptors, however, so it could be overwhelmed if there’s a saturation strike.  

2. The Iron Dome Needs All The Help It Can Get

Many observers assessed that Iran’s latest missile strike exposed the limits of Israel’s famous Iron Dome. The footage that they saw and Israel’s panicked reaction afterwards in trying to cover up the damage, including by detaining Grayzone journalist Jeremy Loffredo and then investigating him for “aiding the enemy in a time of war” by reporting on it, leave little doubt that this is the case. Accordingly, the Iron Dome needs all the help it can get, hence why Israel requested that the US deploy THAAD to assist.

3. The US Risks Getting Caught In Mission Creep

Biden previously promised that “No US boots will be on the ground” in the West Asian conflict zone, yet he just went back on his word after his administration approved this latest deployment. The US thus risks getting caught in mission creep since hawkish policymakers might now argue that it’s worth scaling this deployment in pursuit of perceived national interests after this psychological line was just crossed. They might not succeed, and this could be all that’s sent, but more deployments also can’t be ruled out either.

4. The THAAD Team Is An Escalation Tripwire

Building upon the above, the THAAD team is an escalation tripwire since any harm that might befall them while attempting to intercept Iran’s expected retaliation to Israel’s presumably forthcoming attack could serve as the pretext for the US to strike Iran and/or deploy more troops to the conflict zone. While this move is being sold to the public as “defending Israel” and “deterring Iran”, policymakers nonetheless keenly understand what’s really at stake, yet they’re downplaying the dangers to avoid public outcry.

5. Israel-US Ties Remain Strong Despite Problems

And finally, the US’ THAAD deployment shows that inter-state ties remain strong despite the well-known Bibi-Biden rivalry, which saw Biden endorse Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call for regime change against Bibi last spring. Whether one attributes this to the US’ permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies (“deep state”) still appreciating their perceived mutual geostrategic interests or to the power of the Israel lobby, the point is that it testifies to the resilience of their ties.

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The US’ THAAD deployment to Israel is a worrying step because it suggests that, that something big is coming, and whatever it is, there’s now a heightened chance that the US will become directly involved. Whether its role remains defensive or evolves into an offensive one remains to be seen, but this team of nearly 100 operators essentially serves as an escalation tripwire. Hawkish policymakers want a larger war, and it’ll take self-restraint on Iran’s side and a little bit of luck to avoid that worst-case scenario.

Birds Not Bombs: Let’s Fight for a World of Peace, Not War 

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இஸ்ரேலுக்கு அமெரிக்காவின் THAAD வரிசைப்படுத்தல் எவ்வளவு முக்கியத்துவம் வாய்ந்தது?

ஏதோ பெரிய விஷயம் வரப்போகிறது, அது எதுவாக இருந்தாலும், அமெரிக்கா நேரடியாக ஈடுபடுவதற்கான வாய்ப்பு  அதிகமாக உள்ளது.

By Andrew Korybko              Tamil Translation Google         Global Research, October 14, 2024                                                 

பென்டகன் அதன் முதன்மையான வான் பாதுகாப்பு அமைப்புகளில் ஒன்றான டெர்மினல் ஹை ஆல்டிடியூட் ஏரியா டிஃபென்ஸ் -Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) ஐ இயக்க கிட்டத்தட்ட 100 துருப்புக்களை இஸ்ரேலுக்கு அனுப்புவதாக உறுதிப்படுத்தியது , அதில் மொத்தம் ஏழு மட்டுமே உள்ளது . தெஹ்ரானில் ஹமாஸ் தலைவர் இஸ்மாயில் ஹனியே மற்றும் பெய்ரூட்டில் ஹிஸ்புல்லா தலைவர் சையத் ஹசன் நஸ்ரல்லா ஆகியோர் படுகொலை செய்யப்பட்டதைத் தொடர்ந்து தடுப்பை மீட்டெடுப்பதற்காக ஈரானின் சமீபத்திய ஏவுகணைத் தாக்குதலுக்கு இஸ்ரேல் எதிர்பார்க்கும் பதிலடிக்கு முன்னதாக இது வந்துள்ளது . இந்த சமீபத்திய அமெரிக்க நடவடிக்கை எதைக் குறிக்கிறது:

1. இஸ்ரேல் ஒருவேளை ஏதோ பெரிதாகத் திட்டமிடுகிறது

இஸ்ரேல் சரியாக என்ன திட்டமிடுகிறது என்பது பற்றிய வதந்திகள் ஏராளமாக உள்ளன, ஆனால் அது ஒருவேளை பெரியதாக இருக்கலாம் மற்றும் ஈரானிடம் இருந்து குறைந்தபட்சம் விகிதாசார பதிலடியைத் தூண்டும், எனவே யூத அரசு என்று தன்னம்பிக்கை கொண்ட யூத அரசு அமெரிக்கா தனது சில THAAD களில் ஒன்றைப் பயன்படுத்தக் கோரியது. THAAD பாலிஸ்டிக் ஏவுகணைகளை இடைமறிப்பதில் நிபுணத்துவம் பெற்றுள்ளது, எனவே இஸ்ரேலும் அமெரிக்காவும் ஈரான் இந்த வழிமுறைகளின் மூலம் பதிலளிப்பதை எதிர்பார்க்கின்றன என்பதை உள்வாங்கலாம். THAAD 48 இன்டர்செப்டர்களை மட்டுமே கொண்டு செல்கிறது , இருப்பினும், ஒரு செறிவூட்டல் வேலைநிறுத்தம் ஏற்பட்டால் அது அதிகமாகிவிடும்.  

2. இரும்புக் குவிமாடத்திற்கு அது பெறக்கூடிய அனைத்து உதவிகளும் தேவை

ஈரானின் சமீபத்திய ஏவுகணை தாக்குதல் இஸ்ரேலின் புகழ்பெற்ற இரும்புக் குவிமாடத்தின் எல்லைகளை அம்பலப்படுத்தியதாக பல பார்வையாளர்கள் மதிப்பிட்டுள்ளனர். அவர்கள் பார்த்த காட்சிகள் மற்றும் இஸ்ரேலின் பீதியடைந்த எதிர்வினை, சேதத்தை மறைக்க முயன்றது, கிரேசோன் பத்திரிகையாளர் ஜெர்மி லோஃப்ரெடோவை காவலில் வைத்தது மற்றும் பின்னர் "போர் சமயத்தில் எதிரிக்கு உதவியதற்காக" அவரை விசாரணை செய்ததன் மூலம் அது பற்றி புகாரளித்தது, இது சந்தேகத்திற்கு இடமின்றி உள்ளது. என்பது வழக்கு. அதன்படி, அயர்ன் டோமுக்கு அது பெறக்கூடிய அனைத்து உதவிகளும் தேவை, எனவே இஸ்ரேல் அமெரிக்காவிடம் THAAD ஐ உதவிக்கு அனுப்புமாறு கோரியது.

3. மிஷன் க்ரீப்பில் அமெரிக்காவின் அபாயங்கள் சிக்குகின்றன

மேற்கு ஆசிய மோதல் மண்டலத்தில் " அமெரிக்க பூட்ஸ் எதுவும் தரையில் இருக்காது " என்று பிடன் முன்னர் உறுதியளித்தார் , ஆனால் அவரது நிர்வாகம் இந்த சமீபத்திய வரிசைப்படுத்தலுக்கு ஒப்புதல் அளித்த பிறகு அவர் தனது வார்த்தைக்கு திரும்பினார். இந்த உளவியல் எல்லையைத் தாண்டிய பிறகு, தேசிய நலன்களைப் பின்தொடர்வதில் இந்த வரிசைப்படுத்தலை அளவிடுவது மதிப்புக்குரியது என்று பருந்து கொள்கை வகுப்பாளர்கள் இப்போது வாதிடுவதால், அமெரிக்கா மிஷன் க்ரீப்பில் சிக்கிக்கொள்ளும் அபாயம் உள்ளது. அவை வெற்றியடையாமல் போகலாம், அனுப்பப்பட்டவை இதுவாக இருக்கலாம், ஆனால் அதிகமான வரிசைப்படுத்தல்களையும் நிராகரிக்க முடியாது.

4. THAAD குழு என்பது ஒரு விரிவாக்கப் பயணம்

மேற்கூறியவற்றின் அடிப்படையில், THAAD குழு ஒரு விரிவாக்கப் பயணமாகும், ஏனெனில் இஸ்ரேலின் மறைமுகமாக வரவிருக்கும் தாக்குதலுக்கு ஈரானின் எதிர்பார்க்கப்படும் பதிலடியை இடைமறிக்க முயற்சிக்கும் போது அவர்களுக்கு ஏற்படக்கூடிய எந்தவொரு தீங்கும் அமெரிக்காவிற்கு ஈரானைத் தாக்க மற்றும்/அல்லது அதிக துருப்புக்களை அனுப்புவதற்கான சாக்குப்போக்காக இருக்கலாம். மோதல் மண்டலம். இந்த நடவடிக்கை "இஸ்ரேலைப் பாதுகாப்பது" மற்றும் "ஈரானைத் தடுப்பது" என்று பொதுமக்களுக்கு விற்கப்பட்டாலும், கொள்கை வகுப்பாளர்கள் உண்மையில் ஆபத்தில் இருப்பதைக் கூர்மையாகப் புரிந்துகொள்கிறார்கள், இருப்பினும் அவர்கள் பொதுமக்களின் கூக்குரலைத் தவிர்ப்பதற்காக ஆபத்துக்களை குறைத்து மதிப்பிடுகின்றனர்.

5. பிரச்சனைகள் இருந்தாலும் இஸ்ரேல்-அமெரிக்க உறவுகள் வலுவாக உள்ளன

இறுதியாக, அமெரிக்காவின் THAAD வரிசைப்படுத்தல் நன்கு அறியப்பட்ட பிபி-பிடென் போட்டி இருந்தபோதிலும் மாநிலங்களுக்கு இடையேயான உறவுகள் வலுவாக இருப்பதைக் காட்டுகிறது, கடந்த வசந்த காலத்தில் பீபிக்கு எதிரான ஆட்சி மாற்றத்திற்கான செனட் பெரும்பான்மைத் தலைவர் சக் ஷூமரின் அழைப்புக்கு பிடென் ஒப்புதல் அளித்தார் . அமெரிக்காவின் நிரந்தர இராணுவம், உளவுத்துறை மற்றும் இராஜதந்திர அதிகாரத்துவங்கள் (“ஆழமான அரசு”) இன்னும் அவர்கள் உணரும் பரஸ்பர புவிசார் மூலோபாய நலன்களை அல்லது இஸ்ரேல் லாபியின் சக்தியைப் பாராட்டுவது இதற்குக் காரணம் என்று ஒருவர் கூறினாலும், அது அவர்களின் உறவுகளின் பின்னடைவுக்கு சாட்சியமளிப்பதாகும். .

*

இஸ்ரேலுக்கு அமெரிக்காவின் THAAD வரிசைப்படுத்தல் ஒரு கவலைக்குரிய படியாகும், ஏனென்றால் அது ஏதோ பெரியதாக வரப்போகிறது என்று அறிவுறுத்துகிறது, அது எதுவாக இருந்தாலும், அமெரிக்கா நேரடியாக ஈடுபடுவதற்கான அதிக வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. அதன் பங்கு தற்காப்புடன் இருக்கிறதா அல்லது தாக்குதலாக மாறுகிறதா என்பதைப் பார்க்க வேண்டும், ஆனால் கிட்டத்தட்ட 100 ஆபரேட்டர்களைக் கொண்ட இந்த குழு அடிப்படையில் ஒரு விரிவாக்க ட்ரிப்வைராக செயல்படுகிறது. ஹாக்கிஷ் கொள்கை வகுப்பாளர்கள் ஒரு பெரிய போரை விரும்புகிறார்கள், மேலும் அந்த மோசமான சூழ்நிலையைத் தவிர்ப்பதற்கு ஈரானின் தரப்பில் சுய கட்டுப்பாடு மற்றும் அதிர்ஷ்டம் சிறிது தேவைப்படும்⍐.

 

Hezbollah drone attack kills four Israeli soldiers and injures 58

BBC 13 October 2024

                                                                                                        Four soldiers have been killed and 58 injured in a drone strike targeting an army base in northern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said.

The IDF added seven soldiers had been severely injured in the attack on a base "adjacent to Binyamina" - a town around 20 miles (33km) to the south of Haifa.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said targeted a training camp of the IDF's Golani Brigade in the area, which is based between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The armed group's media office said the strike was in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut on Thursday.

The group said it targeted the camp in northern Israel using a "swarm of drones".

The attack was one of the biggest on an Israeli position in more than a year.

The Israeli ambulance service, Magen David Adom (MDA), earlier said 61 people had been injured in the attack - including three critically. It added 37 of them had been taken to eight regional hospitals, either by ambulance or helicopter.

In a statement before the IDF confirmed the deaths, MDA said that alongside the three critically injured, 18 of the victims were in a moderate condition, 31 sustained mild injuries and nine people were "suffering anxiety".

The reason for the discrepancy in the number of critical injuries between MDA and the IDF is not clear.

Israeli censorship rules had initially prevented media outlets reporting exactly where or what was targeted, before the IDF confirmed it was the Binyamina base.

Some Israeli media outlets have reported the base was hit by a low-level drone launched from Lebanon - a relatively unsophisticated weapon that appears not to have activated early-warning alarms.

Throughout the evening, television bulletins, social media posts and online reports showed footage of emergency vehicles, including helicopters, taking casualties to hospitals across northern Israel.

Many of the wounded have been evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre in nearby Hadera - with others being taken to hospitals in Tel Hashomer, Haifa, Afula and Netanya.

Details are still scarce but many of the injured appear to have been in a communal canteen at the time and were caught completely by surprise. Images circulating on social media appear to show an empty mess hall with a hole in the roof⍐.

Biden sends antimissile system and 100 troops to Israel, deepening U.S. role

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station is loaded onto an C-17 Globemaster III
at Fort Bliss, Tex., in 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/AP)

The mission marks the first significant deployment of U.S. troops to Israel since the war in Gaza began and comes just weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

By John Hudson

 and 

Dan Lamothe

Updated October 13, 2024 

The United States is sending one of its most advanced missile defense systems and about 100 U.S. troops to Israel, deepening U.S. involvement in the escalating war in the Middle East amid U.S. expectations of an imminent Israeli assault on Iran.

The mission marks the first significant deployment of U.S. troops to Israel since the war in Gaza began and comes just three weeks before the U.S. presidential election in which U.S. involvement in the conflict has been a polarizing issue on the campaign trail. U.S. officials have been encouraging Israel to avoid targeting Iran’s nuclear, oil and gas sites out of fear that it could spark an even larger escalation that upends the global economy.

The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, or THAAD, is the latest indication that the United States expects the Israeli assault to be “so comprehensive that the Iranians will have to respond,” said Aaron David Miller, a Middle East expert who has advised multiple Republican and Democratic administrations. The THAAD deployment adds to the more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment the United States has sent Israel since the start of the war last October, according to Israel’s Defense Ministry.

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has promised a devastating attack against Tehran in response to its ballistic missile barrage against Israel on Oct. 1. “Our strike will be powerful, precise, and above all — surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened,” Gallant said Wednesday.

The Iranian assault, which followed Israel’s assassination of high-level Iranian, Hamas and Hezbollah officials, failed to inflict significant damage as a result of U.S. and Israeli efforts to shoot down the projectiles. No deaths occurred within Israel’s internationally recognized borders; one Palestinian man was killed in the occupied West Bank.

The barrage, however, demonstrated that Israel’s sophisticated missile defense system can be overwhelmed, allowing scores of missiles to hit Israeli soil. And on Sunday, a Hezbollah drone appeared to evade air defenses when it struck an IDF base near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring at least seven more.

“The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system,” said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder. “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.”

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have vowed to forcefully defend Israel while expressing support for a swift end to the war. The conflict has deeply divided the Democratic Party, with young voters and Arab Americans criticizing Harris for not calling for restrictions on U.S. arms to Israel in response to the killing of more than 42,000 people in Gaza and blockages of humanitarian aid.

Republicans, on the other hand, have attacked the Biden administration for criticizing Israel’s military tactics following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.

Despite numerous disagreements between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the course of the year-long war, the president’s decision to deliver the THAAD system before Israel’s attack represents another example of his willingness to trust Netanyahu and give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Once this battery is in place and Israel enjoys the protection of American air defenders, what incentive does Netanyahu have to keep his word and not strike the sensitive targets he promised to avoid?” asked Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army officer who served as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The THAAD system is specifically designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. The ground-based system doesn’t have any warheads and isn’t used to strike buildings or conduct offensive attacks. Rather, the system only counters incoming short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

The shipment, which will be delivered at an unknown date, is the latest example of Biden using “carrots” rather than sticks to induce Israel into less aggressive behavior, Mann said.

On Friday, the Biden administration imposed economic sanctions on Iran’s petroleum industry, targeting Tehran’s fleet of tankers, hoping that such action would lessen Israel’s desire to strike Iran’s energy assets, which could prompt Tehran to target oil facilities owned by Washington’s Arab allies.

The decision to place more U.S. troops in Israel amid an impending attack increases the risk of U.S. casualties — a scenario that could drag the United States even further into the widening conflict, Miller said.

“If Iranian missiles hit a U.S. soldier or pro-Iranian militias in Iraq or Syria kill or wound U.S. personnel, there’s a high probability that the U.S. would take kinetic action against Iran,” Miller said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military deployed a pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, but the Biden administration decided against putting troops on the ground for the mission out of safety concerns for U.S. forces and fears of being dragged further into the conflict.

Mann said the risk to U.S. soldiers who will crew the THAAD system is clear.

“Those soldiers will be operating from Israeli military bases, which Iran already demonstrated the will and capability to strike, at a time when additional Iranian strikes are expected imminently,” he said. “Even if we make the unreasonably optimistic assumption that this THAAD battery can defeat any and all missiles headed its way, the Israeli military cannot guarantee the safety of these troops from drones, which have successfully penetrated Israeli bases in the past.”

Each THAAD battery includes at least six truck-mounted launchers that carry up to eight missiles each. The system is widely sought-after, particularly by Ukraine, which is routinely under siege from Russian ballistic missiles.

The U.S. military deployed the system to the Middle East last year after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Ryder said, and in 2019 as part of a training event.

Israel has other antimissile defenses, including its Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling systems⍐.