US’s ‘Ironclad’ Support for Israel: How They Jointly Thwarted Iran Attack
Two US Navy destroyers fired interceptors at the Iranian missiles launched towards Israel on Tuesday. Top US officials in Washington coordinated with Israeli authorities throughout the operation to intercept the missiles.
Iran launched over 180 missiles at Israel late Tuesday, prompting residents in several Israeli cities to take shelter. However, Israel stated that many of the missiles were intercepted, preventing any casualties. US and Israeli officials hailed the operation as a significant success, highlighting the effective coordination between various agencies of both nations. Get Live Coverage of the Israel – Iran Conflict.
US President Joe Biden stated that the US was “actively” supporting Israel’s defense 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 National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that Biden was monitoring the situation “minute by minute,” stating that “there will be severe consequences for this attack.” “This is a significant escalation by Iran. Equally significant is that the US was able to step up with Israel to create a situation in which no one was killed,” Sullivan said, adding, “We will continue to monitor for further threats and attacks from Iran and its proxies.”
How the US Helped Israel’s Defense
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 Defense 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 unclear if those interceptors took down any of the missiles, according to the Pentagon.
US Secretary of Defense Austin communicated with Israel’s Gallant at least twice on Tuesday, both before the attack and during the attack. On Wednesday, Austin spoke to Gallant again and “expressed mutual appreciation for coordinated defense.”
“He reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense 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 organizations,” 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.
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