Why the US is giving Israel a powerful Thaad anti-missile system

The THAAD system is a powerful anti-missile system that the US is giving to Israel ¹. THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is a defense system designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles ². The system was developed after Iraq's Scud missile attacks during the Gulf War in 1991 ². The THAAD interceptor carries no warhead, instead relying on its kinetic energy of impact to destroy the incoming missile ².

The THAAD system has been deployed in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Romania, and South Korea ². On January 17, 2022, THAAD made its first operational interception of an incoming hostile medium-range ballistic missile in the UAE ². The THAAD missile destroys missiles by colliding with them, using hit-to-kill technology ². This is unlike the Patriot PAC-2, which carried an explosive warhead ². Although the actual figures are classified, THAAD missiles have an estimated range of 125 miles and can reach an altitude of 93 miles.