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Posted on 04/14/2003 11:31:59 AM PDT by yonif
US military troops were packing up Patriot anti-missile batteries in Israel on Monday, a day after Israeli officials said there was no longer a threat of an Iraqi missile attack.
Before the war in Iraq, the US military stationed Patriot batteries near Israeli population centers, to boost Israel's air defenses in the event of an Iraqi missile attack. Israel's defense ministry lowered the state of alert in the country on Sunday, noting that the US military was in control of areas of Iraq closest to Israel.
On Monday, US troops stationed in Jaffa, next to Tel Aviv, were seen lowering the portable missile batteries into position for transport on trucks. Soldiers wiped caked-on dirt and sand off windows of vehicles that had been standing for more than a month along the Mediterranean shore.
William Cavness, a US Embassy spokesman, refused to confirm the troops were leaving but noted Israel's decision to scale back its alert status. "The threat seems to have diminished. One of the factors we look at is the level of alert in the country - the alert level has been reduced here," he said.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said citizens no longer needed to carry around gas masks or keep sealed rooms in their homes in case of an Iraqi biological or chemical missile attack.
US military sources have said there are about 600 US troops in Israel, most from units based in Germany.
An Israeli army spokesman said he could not comment on US military troop movements.
In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel. All carried conventional warheads, causing damage but few casualties.
At the start of the current war in Iraq, Israeli officials said the risk of an Iraqi attack was low, and they expressed confidence that Israel's new long-range Arrow anti-missile system would stop any incoming missile. American and Israeli Patriot batteries would have been a last chance attempt to stop a missile if the Arrow system failed.
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