Biden ordered the US military to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he had ordered the U.S. military to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles — an attack, Biden said, that appears to have been “vain and ineffective.”

“This is a testament to the military capability of Israel and the American military,” Biden said in his first on-camera remarks on the issue. “It also demonstrates intensive planning between the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against the brazen attack we expected.”

“Make no mistake, the United States fully supports Israel,” Biden added.

Vice President Kamala Harris, in her own remarks, said she “fully supports” Biden’s order to help shoot down Iranian missiles and that her support for Israel is “unwavering.”

“I condemn this attack unequivocally,” Harris said. “I am clear-headed. Iran is a destabilizing and dangerous force in the Middle East, and today’s attack on Israel only further demonstrates that.”

Officials called Tuesday’s events a “significant escalation” by Iran in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week.

Iran launched about 200 ballistic missiles at various targets in Israel, Pentagon Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. Two U.S. Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean — the USS Bulkeley and the USS Cole — fired “about a dozen” missile interceptors at the incoming barrage, Ryder said.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, joining the White House press conference, said that at this point the administration was not aware of any “damage to aircraft or assets strategic military forces in Israel.

Biden and Harris monitored the Iranian attack on Israel from the White House Situation Room and received regular updates from their national security team, Sullivan said.

Biden said his team was in constant contact with Israeli officials and would continue to share updates. He has not yet spoken to Netanyahu.

When asked how he would like Israel to respond, Biden said it was an “active discussion.”

“It’s an active discussion right now. We’re going to get all the data straight, we’ve been in constant contact with the Israeli government and our counterparts, and that remains to be seen,” he said.

The Biden administration has long opposed a broader regional conflict in the Middle East amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

When asked during the White House briefing whether Biden would recommend a limited response to Israel as he did after the Iranian attack on Israel in April, Sullivan declined to answer.

“I will not share, from this podium, the president’s recommendations. He will have the opportunity to share them directly. We will have, as I said, continuing consultations with the Israelis this afternoon and this evening. It’s too early for me to tell you anything publicly in terms of our assessment or what our expectations are of the Israelis or the advice we will give them,” Sullivan said.

Before the strike began, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss the threat of an imminent Iranian attack on Israel.

President Biden was scheduled to hold a call with rabbis ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, but the White House said that call had been postponed.

One of the first reactions on Capitol Hill came from Southern Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who called the Iranian missile attack on Israel a “breaking point” and called for a response.

“I urge the Biden administration to coordinate a massive response with Israel, starting with Iran’s ability to refine oil,” Graham said in a statement. He called for oil refineries to be “hit and hit hard.”

House Republican leaders later issued a joint statement urging the Biden-Harris administration to send a strong message to Iran following the attack on Israel. House Speaker Mike Johnson has been briefed on the Iranian strikes against Israel, according to his spokesperson.

“The world watches as Israeli families seek refuge and safety as waves of missile attacks light up the sky,” the joint statement said. “We pray for their safety and urge the Biden-Harris administration to send a strong message to the Iranian regime that this unwarranted violence and terror must end. The appeasement strategy has failed and a policy of interdiction is not enough. “

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell also said Iran should face “serious consequences” and called on the administration to “replenish Israel’s supply of critical munitions” following the attack. Iranian missiles against Israel.

“It is not enough to make statements. It is not enough to intercept missiles and drones moments before they reach civilians in Israel or American personnel in the Red Sea. It is time for America to act like the friend to Israel that we claim to be. It’s time to replenish Israel’s supply of critical munitions,” McConnell said.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.