Washington: The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to have been defeated and ineffective, US President Joe Biden said, hours after Tehran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel. The Israeli military reportedly said there was no news of injuries from the attack.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said, "At my direction, the United States military actively supported the defence of Israel. We are still assessing the impact but, based on what we know, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective and this is a testament to Israeli military capability (It is) also a testament to intensive planning (between) the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against a brazen attack."
"Make no mistake, the United States is fully supportive of Israel. And I just spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the situation room, meeting with my whole national security team The national security team, as I said, is in constant contact with Israeli officials and counterparts...," he added.
Biden directed the US military to aid Israel's defence against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles targeting the country, the White House said. While most of the missiles were destroyed before reaching their target, some did impact and cause minimal damage, the Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick S Ryder said.
Two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers -- the USS Cole and USS Bulkeley -- deployed in the eastern Mediterranean fired a dozen interceptors at the incoming Iranian ballistic missiles as part of its defence of Israel, he added.
Condemning the attack, Vice-President Kamala Harris said, "I condemn this attack unequivocally. I am clear-eyed -- Iran is a destabilising, dangerous force in the Middle East and today's attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact."
Iran is not only a threat to Israel but also to American personnel in the region, American interests, and innocent civilians across the region who suffer at the hands of Iran based and backed terrorist proxies, she added.
"We will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend US forces and interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists. And we will continue to work with our allies and partners to disrupt Iran's aggressive behaviour and hold them accountable," Harris said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that this was Iran's second direct attack on Israel in five months. "This is totally unacceptable and the entire world should condemn it," he said.
"Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack. We have demonstrated, once again, our commitment to Israel's defence. We will remain in very close touch with Israel and other partners in the region in the hours and days ahead," Blinken said.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that the US military coordinated closely with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to help defend Israel against the attack.
"Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. This was first and foremost the result of the professionalism of the IDF but in no small part because of the skilled work of the US military and meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack," he said.
"We are also aware of reports of a terrorist attack in Jaffa that took the lives of a number of Israeli civilians and wounded several others today. Our condolences go out to the families of the victims and to the family of the Palestinian civilian in Jericho," he added.
Sullivan further said the US would consult with the Israelis on the next steps in terms of the response. Before and during the attack, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, said Ryder.
"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," he said.
Former president Donald Trump, on the other hand, blamed the Biden administration for the attack.
"The world is on fire and spiralling out of control. We have no leadership, no one running the country. We have a non-existent president in Joe Biden, and a completely absent Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is too busy fundraising in San Francisco... No one is in charge and it is not even clear who is more confused: Biden or Kamala. Neither has any idea what is even going on," he said in a statement.
"When I was president, Iran was in total check. They were starved for cash, fully contained, and desperate to make a deal. Kamala flooded them with American cash and, ever since, they have been exporting terror all over... Under 'President Trump,' we had no war in the Middle East, no war in Europe, and Harmony in Asia, no inflation, no Afghanistan catastrophe. Instead, we had peace. Now, war or the threat of war is raging everywhere and the two incompetents running this country are leading us to the brink of World War III. You would not trust Joe or Kamala to run a lemonade stand, let alone lead the free world," Trump said.
