Iran fired around 180 missiles in an attack on Israel on Tuesday—but most of them were intercepted and President Biden says US support helped make the barrage "defeated and ineffective." Officials say two US naval destroyers based in the eastern Mediterranean helped shoot down many of the incoming missiles, the New York Times reports. There were no immediate reports of fatalities in Israel caused by the missiles, but the Israeli military said two people were treated for shrapnel injuries, NBC News reports.
"Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel," Biden said, per the Times. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Israel "effectively defeated" the attack with assistance from the US and other countries. John Healey, the UK's defense secretary, said British forces "played their part" in what he called "attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East," the BBC reports. Officials including national security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to say whether the US would take part in any counterattack from Israel, though Biden said an "active discussion" is underway.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran "made a big mistake" with the attack "and it will pay for it," the Times of Israel reports. Hardliners including Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister, said Israel should move to destroy Iran's nuclear program. Amir Saeid Iravan, Iran's ambassador to the UN, said the attacks were carried in "self-defense" as a response to "aggressive actions" including the recent assassination of Hezbollah's leader in Lebanon, the AP reports. He said the response to any attack on Iran "will be swift, decisive, and stronger than before." (More Israel stories.)
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