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President Joe Biden said Tuesday helium directed the U.S. subject to assistance Israel sprout down Iranian missiles -- an attack, Biden said, that appears to person been "defeated and ineffective."
"This is testament to Israeli subject capableness and the U.S. military," Biden said successful his archetypal on-camera remarks connected the issue. "It's besides a testament to intensive readying betwixt the United States and Israel to expect and support against the brazen onslaught we expected."
"Make nary mistake, the United States is fully, fully, afloat supportive of Israel," Biden added.
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Vice President Kamala Harris, successful her ain remarks, said she "fully supported" Biden's bid to assistance sprout down the Iranian missiles and that her enactment for Israel was "unwavering."
"I condemn this onslaught unequivocally," Harris said. "I'm clear-eyed. Iran is simply a destabilizing, unsafe unit successful the Middle East, and today's onslaught connected Israel lone further demonstrates that fact."
Officials called Tuesday's events a "significant escalation" from Iran successful retaliation for the sidesplitting of Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah past week.
Iran launched astir 200 ballistic missiles astatine assorted targets wrong Israel, the Pentagon's Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. Two U.S. Navy destroyers located successful the eastbound Mediterranean -- the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole -- fired "approximately a dozen" rocket interceptors astatine the incoming barrage, Ryder said.
National information advisor Jake Sullivan, joining the White House property briefing, said astatine this clip the medication does not cognize of "any harm to craft oregon strategical subject assets successful Israel."
Biden and Harris monitored the Iranian onslaught against Israel from the White House Situation Room and received regular updates from their nationalist information team, Sullivan said.
Biden said his squad has been successful changeless interaction with Israeli officials and would proceed to stock updates. He has not yet spoken to Netanyahu.
Asked however helium would similar Israel to respond, Biden said it was an "active discussion."
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"That's an progressive treatment close now. We're gonna get each the information straight, we've been successful changeless interaction with the Israeli authorities and our counterparts, and that remains to beryllium seen," helium said.
The Biden medication has agelong opposed a wider determination struggle successful the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Asked astatine the White House briefing whether Biden would urge Israel person a constricted effect arsenic helium did aft Iran's onslaught successful Israel successful April, Sullivan declined to say.
"I volition not, from this podium, stock the president's recommendations. He volition person the accidental to stock them directly. We're going to have, arsenic I said, ongoing consultations with the Israelis this day and this evening. It is excessively aboriginal for maine to archer you thing publically successful presumption of our appraisal oregon successful presumption of what our expectations are of the Israelis oregon the proposal that we volition springiness them," Sullivan said.
Before the onslaught began, the Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to sermon the menace of an imminent Iranian onslaught against Israel.
President Biden had been scheduled to clasp a telephone with rabbis up of the Jewish High Holidays but the White House said that telephone has present postponed.
One of the archetypal reactions from Capitol Hill came from South Republican GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who called Iran's rocket onslaught connected Israel a "breaking point" and called for a response.
"I would impulse the Biden Administration to coordinate an overwhelming effect with Israel, starting with Iran's quality to refine oil," Graham said successful a statement. He called for lipid refineries to beryllium "hit and deed hard."
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House Republican enactment aboriginal released a associated connection urging the Biden-Harris medication to nonstop a beardown connection to Iran pursuing the onslaught connected Israel. House Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed connected the Iranian strikes connected Israel, according to his spokesperson.
"The satellite is watching arsenic Israeli families question information and structure arsenic waves of rocket attacks airy up the sky," the associated connection read. "We commune for their information and impulse the Biden-Harris Administration to present a beardown connection to the Iranian authorities that this unjustified unit and panic indispensable end. The strategy of appeasement has failed, and a argumentation of interdiction is not enough."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell besides said Iran should look "severe consequences" and called connected the medication to "replenish Israel's proviso of captious munitions" pursuing Iran's rocket onslaught connected Israel.
"It is not capable to contented statements. It is not capable to intercept missiles and drones moments earlier they scope civilians successful Israel oregon U.S. unit successful the Red Sea. It is clip for America to enactment similar the person of Israel we assertion to be. It is clip to replenish Israel's proviso of captious munitions," McConnell said.
ABC News' Luis Martinez and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
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