US helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said on Tuesday (Oct 1) that two US Navy destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors against Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.

At a press briefing, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder described Iran's attack as significant and said the US supported Israel's right to defend itself.

Ryder said the attack was about twice the scope of Iran's April attack on Israel in terms of the number of ballistic missiles fired.

Sirens sounded across Israel after Iran unleashed dozens of missiles - most of which were intercepted by Israeli air defences or by allied air forces.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted "three military bases" around Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv. It said the attack was in response to Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week, as well as the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran bombing widely blamed on Israel.

President Joe Biden earlier ordered the US military to "aid Israel's defence" and shoot down the Iranian missiles, the White House said.

US officials said they had no warning from the government of Iran that they were going to launch such an attack.

"No notice was given to the United States prior to our response; however, a serious warning was issued afterwards," the Iranian mission said in a statement.

Biden said the US was "fully supportive" of Israel after the missile attack, adding that he would discuss a response with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Asked by reporters what the response towards Iran would be, Biden replied: "That's in active discussion right now. That remains to be seen."