Israel reportedly delays ground invasion to give US time to deploy air defense in the region

The United States on Wednesday afternoon requested that Israel temporarily delay its ground invasion of Gaza so more air defense support can be deployed to protect U.S. troops in the region and assist in defending Israel, according to Israeli media reports

At least one dozen air defense systems are being rushed to Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to protect U.S. troops stationed there, the Pentagon announced.

Following a discussion with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday regarding Iran’s terror proxy forces, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin said he was “directing a series of additional steps to further strengthen the Department of Defense posture in the region.”

“I have also activated the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, as well as additional Patriot battalions to locations throughout the region to increase force protection for US forces,” Austin said.

In the three weeks since the Hamas invasion and attack on Israel on Oct. 7, at least 13 attacks have been carried out by Iran-backed proxies against U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East, reportedly injuring some two dozen troops in Syria and 10 U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

“Successful deterrence by denial requires this deployment and activation of missile defense assets like Patriot and THAAD to offset the rising Iranian and proxy missile challenge,” explained Behnam Ben Taleblu, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD).

THAAD is in the middle tier of the U.S. ballistic missile defenses and has “demonstrated capability against short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles” according to the CSIS Missile Defense Project.

Israel has agreed to further delay the Gaza operation until the defense systems are in place, which could be later this week according to a report issued by the Wall Street Journal.

Israel has held off on beginning the ground offensive for the last three weeks, reportedly so more humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians could be secured and additional negotiations could be reached for the release of Israeli hostages.

Some humanitarian aid has entered Gaza from Egypt through an agreement arranged by the U.S., but the area has generally been under a military blockade since the brutal attacks committed by Hamas on Oct 7.

More than 1.400 Israeli and foreign lives were lost, mostly civilians, and more than 220 hostages were kidnapped and taken captive in Gaza, only four of which have been released so far.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, during an address to the Israeli public on Wednesday afternoon, that the ground invasion was imminent, with the objective to destroy Hamas and return the hostages. He called the members of the terror group “dead men walking.”

“We are preparing for a ground incursion. I won’t specify when, how, how many. I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of. And that’s the way it is supposed to be. This is the way that we protect our soldiers’ lives,” Netanyahu said.

“We will exact the full price for those murderers… from Hamas-ISIS,” the prime minister stated, once again urging Gaza civilians to head to the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. has provided strong support for Israel since the massive Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, sending two aircraft carriers to the region, but Biden has expressed concern about Israel’s long-term goals for the Gaza Strip.

Israel has been focused on eliminating Hamas from the Gaza Strip, which is roughly 25 miles in length, targeting the group’s operatives and infrastructure while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says the strikes have killed 6,546 people, mostly civilians and many of them children. However, the statistics issued by the terror group have not been verified and many of the deceased are believed to be terrorists.

According to Israeli officials, around 1,500 Hamas terrorists have been killed inside of Israel since Oct. 7.