Trump's 'Winter White House', airport get air defence systems amid Iran war fears

While the US Secret Service, which guards the President, called it 'another layer of security', the timing of the move has raised concerns about a possible escalation in the Iran conflict.Melania Trump, Barron and Donald Trump at Mar-a-LagoNew Delhi,Oct 30, 2026 13:56 ISTNew surface-to-air missile systems have been deployed at US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago golf estate in Florida and near the Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach amid fears of a new round of heavy combat operations against Iran. While the US Secret Service, which guards the President, called it "another layer of security", the timing of the move has raised concerns about a possible escalation in the Middle East turmoil.A pair of Avenger Air Defence Systems have been stationed on a floating barge in the Lake Worth Lagoon on the west side of Trump's sprawling 17-acre oceanfront property, which he once called the 'Winter White House'. It was first spotted by a photojournalist from the Palm Beach Daily last week, shortly before Trump arrived at the golf estate.Separately, another set of air missile systems has been positioned on the southern side of the Donald J. Trump International Airport, close to the area where Air Force One is parked during the President's visits.WHAT ARE AVENGER MISSILE SYSTEMS?The Avengers are short-range air defence systems that are mounted on Humvees. The systems are designed to fire surface-to-air missiles at aircraft, drones and other aerial threats. Aviation experts told WPTV that the missile systems are intended as a last line of defence. Analyst Dewitt Ingram described the weapons as a final layer of protection behind fighter jets and other measures.- Ends