US's 'ironclad' support for Israel: How they jointly planned to thwart Iran attack

Iran fired over 180 missiles at Israel late Tuesday, forcing residents in several Israeli cities to seek shelter. However, Israel reported that many of the missiles were intercepted with the assistance of US agencies and missile destroyers.

US President Joe Biden stated that the US was "actively" supporting Israel's defence under his directive. He mentioned that he had been in the Situation Room, the White House's hub for managing critical national security matters, when the attack occurred.

US Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Biden was monitoring the situation "minute by minute," emphasising that "there will be severe consequences for this attack".

HOW US HELPED ISRAEL'S DEFENCE

According to the Pentagon, the US fired about a dozen interceptors at the barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel.

"During the attack, the US military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defence Forces to help defend Israel," Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said.

Two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the USS Cole and USS Bulkeley, both deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, fired a dozen interceptors at incoming Iranian ballistic missiles as part of defending Israel, Ryder added.

However, it was immediately unknown if those interceptors took down any of the missiles, according to the Pentagon.

US Secretary of Defence Austin communicated with Israel's Gallant at least twice on Tuesday, both before the attack and during the attack, the pentagon official said. On Wednesday, Austin spoke to Gallant again and "expressed mutual appreciation for coordinated defence".

"He reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to the defence of Israel and underscored that the US remains well-postured throughout the Middle East region to protect US forces and defend Israel in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organisations," Ryder said.

Even before the attack, the US had warned Israel of an imminent strike, including the potential scale of the barrage. On Tuesday evening, a senior US official revealed that the US had intelligence suggesting Iran was preparing to launch a significant ballistic missile strike on Israel. The official indicated the attack, expected within the next 12 hours, could rival the scale of one Tehran had executed earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Tehran claimed that most of its missiles successfully struck their targets. Celebrations erupted in Iran following the assault on Israel, which was carried out in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and in response to Israel's ongoing offensive in Lebanon and Gaza.