US Deploys Defense System

The US is sending an air defense system to Israel, along with 100 US troops trained to operate it, the Pentagon said yesterday. The deployment comes after Iran launched around 200 missiles into Israel earlier this month in retaliation for assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, and as Israel has said it plans to respond.

The news also comes as Israel faces criticism after more than a dozen UN peacekeepers were injured in southern Lebanon, including in an incident yesterday (free w/email). The UN says Israeli tanks stormed a UN base, with nearby explosions later sickening the peacekeepers. Israel says Hezbollah targeted its forces with antitank missiles near the post and that Israeli forces had backed into the post to evacuate wounded soldiers.

Israel separately accused the UN peacekeeping mission of failing to demilitarize the area by allowing Hezbollah militants to operate nearby. The army pointed to tunnels roughly 300 feet from a UN compound (see more, w/video).

See updates on Middle East wars here.