The American THAAD system was deployed in Israel in October, but was used for the first time.
The Israeli military intercepted for the first time a ballistic missile launched from Yemen using the US THAAD missile defense system. Reuters reported this on Friday, December 27.
It was noted that the THAAD system was activated in the last 24 hours to intercept the missile, and its effectiveness is now being evaluated. This incident was the first combat use of the complex deployed in Israel in October 2024.
Israel’s army said the missile fired by the Houthis was intercepted by missile defense systems. However, the statement did not specify whether the THAAD system was used for this, The Times of Israel reports.
Videos posted on social networks show the system launching an interceptor. One of the American soldiers in the recording comments: “I’ve been waiting for this for 18 years.”
Developed by Lockheed Martin, the system uses the concept of “kinetic interception”, where the target is destroyed by the energy of the collision with the hardware unit, which increases its effectiveness compared to other systems such as the Patriot air defense system .
עבורת ה- THAAD אמריקיניט לקחה חכל בירוט הטיל הבליסטי ששוגר אמש מתימן. “18 سنام حیکیتی لزها” pic.twitter.com/s4VoMfMhaF
— итай блументаль 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) December 27, 2024
Let’s recall that in early December, the Foreign Ministry confirmed the discussion of the transfer of THAAD to Ukraine.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.