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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Any strike against U.S. troops sent to Israel to operate an advanced anti-missile system to help bolster the country's air defenses following Iran's attacks risks involving the U.S. in an escalating war, a former U.S. colonel has said.
The comments were made on CNN by retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton in response to news that the U.S. is sending a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, battery to Israel to shield against further Iranian aerial attacks.
Around 100 U.S. troops will reportedly travel with the advanced air defense system to the Middle East which is on high alert after Iran launched close to 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel at the start of the month.
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The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said there was no major damage as most were intercepted, although some landed on Israeli territory, including air bases.
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Leighton said that the system would "add a layer to the Israeli air and missile defenses and will augment the Iron Dome, David's Sling and the Arrow systems," referring to the defense systems used by Israel.
However, the American troops required to operate the system poses its own risk as he told CNN that if they are "harmed in any way, that could then result in the U.S. being dragged into the war and that could of course have significant consequences beyond what we would like to imagine at this point."
When contacted for comment, the Pentagon referred Newsweek to its statement on Sunday that the THAAD Battery "will augment Israel's integrated air defense system" and underscores U.S. commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran.
The statement said the U.S. had previously deployed a THAAD battery to the region after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and before that, in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise.
It comes as Lebanese officials say at least 18 people were killed in an Israeli strike in Aitou in northern Lebanon in what would be the first time Israel has targeted the Christian-majority northern region in a year of hostilities.
Israel has been accused of targeting high-ranking leaders allied with Tehran which included the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Israel has also continued its strikes across Lebanon as concerns grow about what Iran might do next and the prospect of a regional war.
On Sunday night, a Hezbollah drone attack killed four Israeli soldiers at an Israeli army base south of Haifa on Sunday night.
Meanwhile, former Israeli intelligence officer Avi Melamed told Newsweek there were reports Israel had initiated a limited ground operation in the buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights close to Syrian Army positions in areas known for hosting Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah.
This suggests that Israel may be acting on intelligence, indicating that these militias plan to use the terrain to launch attacks on Israeli communities near the border.
"Against the backdrop of a potential Israeli strike on Iran in retaliation for the October 1 Iranian missile attack on Israel, it is possible that these militias could launch an attack on Israeli territory as part of Iran's broader retaliatory strategy, should such an Israeli strike occur," Melamed said.
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