Add a layer

US anti-missile system will “add a layer” to Israel’s defenses, military analyst says

From CNN’s Chris Lau

The advanced anti-missile system that the US is sending to Israel will augment its air defenses by targeting the type of missiles that Iran typically uses, a CNN military analyst said.

The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, can strike down ballistic missiles from short to intermediate range.

“These are the classes of missiles that the Iranians use for many of their attacks against Israel or any of the other areas they are targeting,” retired Air Force col. Cedric Leighton told CNN’s Michael Holmes.

“It is significant in the sense that when it is put in place, it will actually add a layer to the Israeli air and missile defenses and will augment the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow systems,” Leighton said, referring to the defense systems used by Israel.

Some context: THAAD is the only US missile defense system that can engage and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside or outside the atmosphere during their terminal phase of flight, or dive on their target.

The US Army will dispatch about 100 troops to Israel to operate the battery, according to the Pentagon. Iran has informed the US it would retaliate against any new attack by Israel, a source in Tehran told CNN on Saturday.

Leighton warned that US boots on the ground raises the risk of dragging the US into a war.

“If those troops are harmed in any way, that could then result in the US being dragged into the war and that could of course have significant consequences beyond what we would like to imagine at this point,” he said.