U.S. Army expands THAAD missile defense base in Israel with 5 new launch sites

The U.S. Army is expanding its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense base in Israel, adding five new launch sites to the existing six that are currently operational. The base is located at coordinates 31°29"53"N 34°48"19"E.

In addition to the six active launch sites, there are extra launch sites that have already been constructed but are not yet in use. This expansion allows for the potential deployment of up to three THAAD batteries at this single base, which would represent approximately 38% of the total number of U.S. Army THAAD systems.

As of September 2025, the U.S. Army has eight operational THAAD batteries, consisting of 42 to 48 launchers and an estimated 550 interceptor missiles. Recent estimates indicate that around 25% of these THAAD interceptor missiles were utilized to defend Israel from missile threats during a 12-day conflict, accounting for nearly 50% of all U.S.-Israeli interceptions of Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs).

The THAAD site in Israel is operated by U.S. Army personnel and includes at least one, possibly two, AN/TPY-2 early warning radars. These radars were previously positioned to monitor threats from Yemen"s Houthi forces.

Currently, the U.S. Army has two THAAD batteries in Israel, with the first deployed in October 2024 and the second in April 2025.