US military helped Israel to intercept Iranian missiles

American military co-ordinated closely with Israeli forces to help defend against attack, White House says

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder holds a press briefing at the Pentagon, providing an update on the Iranian missile attack on Israel, saying that Israel intercepted most of the missiles. AFP

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The US military helped Israel to intercept a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles on Tuesday, while Washington reaffirmed support for its ally as fears grew of a wider regional war.

The Pentagon said Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, about double the number it launched during a similar attack on April 13.

President Joe Biden “directed the US military to aid Israel’s defence against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles that are targeting Israel", the White House said.

"Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel," Mr Biden told reporters. He said that a response to Iran "remains to be seen".

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said Israel had been able to intercept most of the missiles and that there was "minimal damage".

Two US destroyers launched about a dozen interceptors to help Israel, Maj Gen Ryder said. He did not say if other countries had been involved in defending against the Iranian attack.

Israel has previously said it would not tolerate an attack by Iran.

Israel has begun its ground invasion of Lebanon after weeks of escalation that has included a wave of pager and walkie-talkie attacks, and the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. In August, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran, with the killing widely blamed on Israel.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that Tuesday's attack was “a significant escalation by Iran”.

Mr Sullivan said the US would look at what “the appropriate next steps are” to secure American interests and promote stability in the Middle East.

“We have made clear that there will be consequences, serious consequences, for this attack and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Iran is a "destabilising, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today's attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact".

"We will continue to work with our allies and partners to disrupt Iran's aggressive behaviour and hold them accountable," Ms Harris said.

A US defence official said: “In accordance with our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security", US forces were defending against missiles launched by Iran at Israel.

“Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect US forces operating in the region.”

The State Department said “there must be consequences” for the attack.

“There are things on which we will be co-ordinating with our Israeli counterparts,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Mr Miller said that Israel has a right to defend itself.

“And I think in the immediate aftermath of this attack, we were going to co-ordinate with them on what any response might be,” he said.

Mr Miller said there is a difference in the recent action both countries have taken in the region.

“What you saw was Iran launching a state-on-state attack to protect and defend the terrorist groups that it has built, nurtured and that it controls. So there is a difference between the actions that we have seen Israel take and what we’ve seen Iran take.”

On Capitol Hill, hawkish pro-Israel members of Congress called on the Biden administration to take further action against Israel.

“This missile attack against Israel should be the breaking point and I would urge the Biden administration to co-ordinate an overwhelming response with Israel, starting with Iran’s ability to refine oil,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a post on X. He said he had spoken to former president Donald Trump, who was “determined and resolved to protect Israel from the threats of terrorism emanating from Iran”.

Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican who sits on the Senate armed services committee, said in a statement that: “Iran and its terrorist proxies – Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis – will never stop their campaign to eliminate Israel from the map. The Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei's] regime must be eliminated.”

The Iranian UN mission in New York defended Tehran's ballistic missile attack on Israel as “legal, rational and legitimate”, and warned against any response.

The mission said in a post on X that the attack was a response “to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime, which involved targeting Iranian nationals and interests and infringing upon the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

“No notice was given to the United States prior to our response; however, a serious warning was issued afterwards,” the mission told The National.

Iran previously launched a drone and missile barrage against Israel in April, after Israel's bombing of Tehran's embassy in Damascus, which killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals.

Patrick deHahn contributed to this report from New York