U.S. Patriot missile batteries in S. Korea to be temporarily deployed to Middle East

South Korea and the United States have recently agreed on a plan to temporarily deploy Patriot missile defense batteries stationed in South Korea to the Middle East, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported citing sources.

The allies agreed last month on the "monthslong" partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, the first known case involving the relocation of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) assets to the Middle East, the sources told Yonhap.

The rare move comes after U.S. broadcaster NBC News reported last week that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized at least two Patriot missile defense batteries from Asia to be moved to the Middle East as the U.S. takes military action against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The USFK told Yonhap that the deployment is “part of a rotational deployment.” The USFK said it “will still maintain a ready, capable, and lethal force on the Korean peninsula prepared to respond to any contingency.”

The missiles work alongside South Korea's own air defense assets in a multilayered missile defense system designed to counter threats from North Korea, according to the news agency.