Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, an Iranian attack has destroyed a key US missile defense radar system, Bloomberg reported, citing US officials.
The report said the system cost about $300 million and was a key part of a regional missile defense system.
The Bloomberg report noted that satellite imagery analyzed by CNN showed the destruction of the AN/TPY-2 radar and associated equipment associated with the THAAD missile defense system stationed at the Mawaffak Salti Air Base in Jordan. A US official later confirmed the incident, the report said.
The US has deployed THAAD defense systems at several key bases around the world, including in South Korea and Guam. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the total cost of a THAAD battery is about $1 billion, with the bulk of the cost being spent on radar technology.
Meanwhile, Iran has claimed to have attacked several other military installations. The country’s military said drone strikes targeted US bases in Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the Al-Minhad base in the United Arab Emirates, a military installation in Kuwait and a strategic target in Israel were attacked. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed to have struck the Al-Dhafra airbase.
Tensions have been rising across the region since the US and Israeli military operation on February 28. Since then, Iran has been demanding retaliation through drone and missile attacks on Israel and various installations of US interests in the Middle East.
Source: Bloomberg, AFP, Tasnim