The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced Tuesday the deployment of the advanced Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel. "Yesterday, October 14, an advance team of US military personnel and initial components necessary to operate the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery arrived in Israel," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a press statement. He added that over the coming days, additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components would continue to arrive in Israel. "The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines," Ryder stated. He pointed out that the deployment of the THAAD battery to Israel underscores the United States' commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran. Source: Kuwait News Agency