ISTANBUL

The deployment of interceptors of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) US anti-missile system from South Korea to the Middle East is imminent, Seoul-based Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday, citing sources.

One THAAD battery has been deployed in Seongju, located nearly 215 kilometers (134 miles) southeast of Seoul, against possible threats by North Korea's military.

Six truck-mounted THAAD launchers that were recently relocated to Pyeongtaek's Osan Air Base, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Seoul, have returned to Seongju after unloading interceptor missiles, according to the report.

Each launcher can hold up to eight interceptors. If all six launchers had been fully loaded, Osan Air Base would have been left with 48 interceptors.

The report said the interceptor missiles are expected to be transported to the Middle East soon via US military aircraft.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday said the US was moving parts of the THAAD system from South Korea to the Middle East.

The report came as Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 and have so far killed more than 1,200 people, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader at the time, and more than 150 schoolgirls.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.