US policymakers were concerned by Iran’s ability on Oct 1 to break through the Iron Dome, Israel’s primary defence against missile attacks, by launching 180 ballistic missiles at the same time.
A THAAD battery is operated from the ground, and uses radar detectors to identify an incoming ballistic missile, before launching a projectile to neutralise it.
The “kill vehicle” launched from the battery is a kinetic weapon with no warhead, and can travel at more than 6,000 mph with a range of 120 miles.
The plans were first reported by Israel’s Channel 12. An American official later told Axios that a final decision had not yet been taken.
The US announced last October that it would deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East to defend its own bases, which have come under attack by Iranian-linked Islamist groups using rockets and drones.
It is unknown whether any battery deployed to Israel would be sent from America or rerouted from another US base in the Middle East.
