A host of cutting-edge U.S. military systems have made their combat debut in the Middle East amid Israel’s raging hostilities with Iran-backed militias. After “all-new” stealth aircraft and “formidable” interceptor missiles, now the U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) demonstrated its efficacy in defending Israel.
A US THAAD Battery forward-deployed in Israel intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to latest reports. A video of the interception has appeared online, with commentators expressing exuberance with the THAAD’s combat success.
The interception, however, has not been officially acknowledged by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or the Pentagon at the time of writing this report.
If confirmed, this would be the first operational use of the THAAD since its deployment in Israel in October of this year, essentially marking its combat debut in the Jewish state. It is noteworthy, however, that the first-ever combat use of THAAD was recorded in the UAE when it shot down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in 2022.
The Yemen-based Houthi militia launched hundreds of missiles and drone attacks on Israel since the IDF began its bombing campaign in Gaza. In retaliation, Israel has conducted multiple air strikes against Houthi targets, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently vowing a more crushing response in the future.
Israel, which is embroiled in conflict with multiple stakeholders in the region, including Iran, the Yemen-based Houthis, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and Hamas in Gaza, has received massive military support from the United States.
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In October this year, fearing an Iranian response to Israeli airstrikes, the United States dispatched a THAAD Battery and troops to Israel.
At the time, the Pentagon Press Secretary, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement, “At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1.” While Iran is yet to launch a counter-attack, the US THAAD has finally scored a kill.
This was not the first deployment of THAAD in Israel. In 2019, the United States deployed a THAAD battery to Israel for training and an integrated air defense exercise. Moreover, a mobile AN/TPY-2 radar belonging to the THAAD Air Defense System has remained operational near the Nevatim Air Base.
THAAD is an essential component of the U.S. military’s air defenses and is designed to detect and destroy threats from short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase of flight.
Israel already possesses a sophisticated, multilayered missile defense system that can thwart anything from short-range unguided rockets fired from Gaza to sophisticated guided long-range missiles. While the Arrow, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome form an advanced air defense network, the THAAD expands the area coverage and further enhances protection, as previously explained by EurAsian Times based on inputs from military analysts.
A full THAAD battery comprises six launchers, a fire-control unit, the THAAD system’s AN/TPY-2 radar, and a support unit. The AN/TPY-2 radar system, part of THAAD, can monitor missile launches within a radius of 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers. THAAD and its radar can accept cues from Aegis, satellites, and other external sensors to extend their coverage area. A detailed EurAsian Times report on THAAD’s deployment to Israel and how it augments Israeli air defense capabilities can be read here.
The THAAD is the most advanced missile defense system in the U.S. arsenal. It has been deployed in several volatile locations worldwide based on evolving threat perception.
The system has been stationed in Japan, South Korea, Guam, and Alaska in the last few years. Due to its cutting-edge capabilities, U.S. adversaries like China and Russia have vociferously opposed its deployment.
Combat Debut Of F-35 & SM-3 Missile
Before THAAD, the U.S. carrier-based F-35C Lightning II stealth aircraft made its combat debut in November 2024 during an operation targeting Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen.
The strike, carried out between November 9 and 10 this year, involved the Marine Corps’ VMFA-314 squadron—also known as the “Black Knights”—stationed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR).
Its main goal, as stated by the Pentagon at the time, was to weaken Houthi capabilities, particularly after the Iran-backed militia launched a string of attacks on international military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Several U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft, including the F-35C, the F/A-18F Super Hornet, and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, were used in the operation. However, the F-35C’s involvement was a historic first. It was the last model of the Lightning II series—following the A and B variants—to debut in combat operations.
The F-35s have played a crucial role in combat operations in Israel and the wider Middle-Eastern region for years. In May 2018, Israeli Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin disclosed that Israel had used its F-35 “Adir” jets in at least two Middle Eastern strikes—marking the F-35’s combat debut. More recently, the F-35s were deployed by Israel to launch air strikes on military targets in Iran, further establishing the remarkable efficacy of these undetectable stealth fighter jets.
Another advanced U.S. weapon that debuted in the region is the SM-3. In another historic first, U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers deployed Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) anti-missile interceptors in combat, successfully intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Israeli targets.
The interception came in April when Iran launched a massive aerial strike on Israel, firing a staggering 350 missiles and drones with a combined payload of 60 tons of explosives. In the aftermath of this attack, the IDF declared that 99 percent of the threats were intercepted, with the U.S. Navy accounting for a key portion.
The USS Carney and USS Arleigh Burke reportedly shot down at least three ballistic missiles. The incoming Iranian ballistic missiles headed for Israel were neutralized by four to seven SM-3 interceptors fired by the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and the USS Carney (DDG-64) stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean.
With the SPY-1D radar and SM-3 interceptors installed, these destroyers proved they could identify and destroy ballistic threats before they could reach their targets, as previously reported by EurAsian Times. The SM-3 interceptors have been crucial to the U.S. ballistic missile defense network since 2004.
At the time, experts noted that even though SM-3 interceptors have been the subject of a great deal of testing over the last 20 years, their successful use in combat marked a pivotal moment in the history of missile defense technology.
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