With similar assistance from the UK, the US fired about a dozen interceptors at Tuesday’s barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel, the Pentagon says.
Israel says Iran has launched more than 180 missiles towards the country in a large-scale attack that has further heightened fears of an all-out regional war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the majority of missiles were “intercepted by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the United States”.
US President Joe Biden said the US “actively” supported Israel’s defence at his direction. He said he had spent the morning in the Situation Room – the White House hub for handling serious national security issues.
Also, UK forces were involved in supporting Israel in the conflict in the Middle East after Iran launched a missile attack on the country.
Defence Secretary John Healey said British forces had “this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation”, without giving more details.
The BBC understands UK fighter jets were involved, as they were in April when Iran last attacked Israel with missiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched the missiles in retaliation for recent attacks that killed the leaders of the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups, as well as a senior Iranian commander.
Responding on Tuesday to Iran’s attack, which the Israeli military said involved 180 missiles being fired with most intercepted, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK “stands with Israel” and recognises its right to self-defence.
The Israeli military said about 180 missiles were fired at Israel, most of which were intercepted.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended the attack, calling it a “decisive” response “in defence of Iranian interests and citizens”.
In a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday, Maj Gen Patrick Ryder said two US Navy destroyers fired the interceptors at the missiles, which the US believed were all launched from Iran.
He did not confirm whether they hit any of the Iranian missiles used in the attack – adding that this information was yet to be determined.
Iran launched around 180 missiles towards Israel, the Israeli military said. That would make it slightly larger than a barrage in April when Tehran launched about 110 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles fired towards Israel.
Maj Gen Ryder added that the Pentagon was not aware of any warning for the attack.
President Biden said the US was “fully supportive” of Israel after Wednesday’s assault.
“Today, at my direction, the United States military actively supported the defence of Israel, and we’re still assessing the impact,” he said.
“But based on what we know now, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. And this is testament to the Israeli military capability and the US military.”
Asked by reporters what the response towards Iran would be, Biden said: “That’s in active discussion right now. That remains to be seen.”
He said he would be talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his message “would depend on what we finally conclude is needed”.
The region is now well into a further sharp cycle of escalation, precisely the scenario Biden has spent months trying to avert – attempting to stem the Gaza war engulfing the rest of the region, while keeping up an almost continuous supply of arms to Israel.
Earlier, White House national security spokesman Jake Sullivan described Iran’s attack as a “significant escalation”.
He told reporters: “We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case.”
Mr Sullivan did not specify what such consequences might be, but he did not urge restraint by Israel as the US did after April’s attack by Iran.
US state department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington had attempted to use both deterrence and diplomacy to de-escalate the region.
Pressed by the BBC on whether it was still taking this approach when working with the Israelis on the response to Iran, he said of course – they were always using both deterrence and diplomacy.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that the attacks were in response to Israel’s killing of a top IRGC commander and leaders of Iran-backed militias in the region.
It mentioned the killings of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoshan in Lebanon last weekend.
It also referred to the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
While Israel has not admitted involvement in Haniyeh’s death, it is widely believed to be responsible.
Millions of people rushed to shelters before explosions lit up the night skies above Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. A man was killed by falling missile debris in the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had made a “big mistake” and “will pay for it”.
Iranian state TV said Iran had fired 200 missiles towards Israel. These included hypersonic weapons, it said, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes were in retaliation for the killings of the leaders of its allies Hezbollah and Hamas.
Within hours of the massive barrage on Tuesday evening local time, Israel’s military resumed air strikes against what it said were Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
