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A top US defense official has confirmed that the United States has deployed an advanced air defense system in Israel ahead of an anticipated retaliatory attack by Israel on Iran.

What’s the deal: While en route to Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system had been deployed to Israel and was now “in place.” Secretary Austin added, “We have the ability to put it into operation very quickly and we’re on pace with our expectations.” Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder also chimed in, saying, “The deployment of the THAAD battery to Israel underscores the United States’ commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran.”

Israel’s anticipated strike on Iran: Secretary Austin also provided brief comments on Israel’s anticipated strike on Iran, saying, “At the end of the day, that’s an Israeli decision, and whether or not the Israelis believe it’s proportional and how the Iranians perceive it, I mean those may be two different things. We’re going to do – continue to do – everything we can to dial down the tensions and hopefully get both parties to begin to de-escalate. So, we’ll see what happens.”

More on the THAAD system: The THAAD system is designed to intercept and destroy short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase, targeting threats up to 120 miles away. Accompanying the defense system is approximately 100 American troops who will be tasked with operating it.