US Department of Defense planning to send Iron Dome systems to Israel as F-16 fighter jets arrive in region
The system protects Israeli civilians from rockets and mortars fired by militant groups in Gaza
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A U.S. Department of Defense official confirmed with Fox News that the Pentagon is in the planning phase of sending Iron Dome missile defense systems to Israel as the country continues to fend off missiles fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists.
"The U.S. will be flowing additional Iron Dome support to Israel," the defense official said. "As a result, the Department of Defense is currently engaged in planning to support the provision of U.S. Iron Dome batteries to Israel."
On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists conducted a surprise attack on Israel, making it the deadliest attack on the country in 50 years.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PENTAGON OFFICIALS SAY ATTACKS ON US TROOPS HAVE ‘IRANIAN FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER’
An Israeli missile launched from the Iron Dome defense missile system attempts to intercept a rocket, fired from the Gaza Strip, over the city of Netivot in southern Israel, Oct. 8. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
The attack included over 3,000 rockets, drones and commando raids that targeted Israeli cities, military bases and infrastructure.
Israel’s air defense system, the Iron Dome, neutralized about 90% of the incoming threats, the Israeli military said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The system was created to protect Israeli civilians from rockets and mortars fired by militant groups in Gaza and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, making its debut in April 2011, when it stopped a Grad rocket heading toward Ashkelon that was fired from Gaza.
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Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system fires to intercept a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg/File)
Iron Dome operates using a sophisticated radar system that detects incoming projectiles from about 40 miles away. It then calculates the trajectories of the projectiles and discerns their potential threats by firing a launcher containing 20 interceptor missiles to intercept any rocket deemed dangerous.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, U.S. Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Brian Mast, both Florida Democrats, announced they were spearheading a bipartisan coalition to urge the Department of Defense to transfer to Iron Dome systems to Israel.
The U.S. owns two Iron Dome systems that are "sitting idle and not being used," according to a press release from Moskowitz and Mast, and that the units were purchased in accordance with the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images/File)
"Every time the Iron Dome is used, it saves thousands of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives from Hamas terrorists," Moskowitz said. "Now more than ever, the United States must stand with Israel in their war against terrorists who wish nothing but to destroy Israel and the people that live there."
The U.S. Department of Defense is in the process of bolstering forces in the Middle East to deter a wider conflict, but also bolster stability and defend national security interests.
On Tuesday, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the New Jersey Air National Guard's 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived within U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, adding additional F-16 fighting Falcon Squadrons into the mix to deter further aggression in the region.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. Navy announced last week it would be sending the USS Mount Whitney to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as tensions in the Middle East rise amid the Israel-Hamas war.
MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT MOVES CLOSER TO ISRAEL VIA RED SEA
The U.S. 6th Fleet Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images/File)
The USS Mount Whitney, the Navy’s command and control ship, left Gaeta, Italy, on Wednesday to join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in support of U.S. Operations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which was in the Eastern Mediterranean, is heading to the Persian Gulf, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday.
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Also in the area is a special operations capable Marine rapid response force of nearly 2,000 Marines and sailors known as the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is moving closer to Israel via the Red Sea. The group includes the amphibious ready groups USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kurt Knutsson of the CyberGuy Report and Fox News contributed to this report.