Filenews 14 June 2025
U.S. air defense systems and a U.S. Navy destroyer helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles launched by Tehran in response to Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and top military personnel.
This was revealed by U.S. officials to the AP who asked not to be named.
The U.S. has both Patriot ground missile defense systems and high-altitude air defense systems in the Middle East capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, which Iran launched in multiple barrages in retaliation for Israel's initial offensive.
A Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean also shot down Iranian missiles heading toward Israel, an official said.
The United States is also transferring military resources, including ships, to the Middle East in response to the attacks.
The Navy has ordered the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea to the eastern Mediterranean, and has ordered a second destroyer to begin moving forward to be available if requested by the White House. U.S. officials said.
U.S. fighter jets are also patrolling the area to protect personnel and facilities, and air bases in the area are taking additional security measures, officials said.
Typically, about 30,000 U.S. troops are in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region right now, according to a U.S. official. That number soared to 43,000 last October amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks on merchant and military ships in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.
The Navy has additional means that it could send to the area if needed, especially its aircraft carriers and the warships that sail with them.
The USS Carl Vinson is located in the Arabian Sea – the only aircraft carrier in the region.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is in the Indo-Pacific and could head to the Middle East if needed, and the USS George Washington has just left its port in Japan and could also head to the region if ordered, one of the officials said.
