Biden Orders U.S. Military Support for Israel’s Defense, White House Confirms
Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley after Israelis piled into bomb shelters.
President Joe Biden has instructed the U.S. military to assist in Israel’s defense against Iranian missile attacks and intercept any missiles targeting the country, according to the White House National Security Council (NSC).
Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to Israel’s actions against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in a statement issued on Tuesday claimed that they launched tens of missiles toward Israel and warned that if Israel retaliated Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and ruinous”, Iranian state TV reported.
NSC spokesperson Sean Savett confirmed in a post on X that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are closely monitoring the situation from the White House situation room, receiving frequent updates.
United States President Joe Biden convened a national security meeting to discuss the Iranian missile attack against Israel.
“We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region,” Biden said in a statement on X.
This morning, @VP and I convened our national security team to discuss Iranian plans to launch an imminent missile attack against Israel.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 1, 2024
We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region.
In response to the escalating tensions, Israel has halted all air travel, while Iraq, Israel’s eastern neighbour via Jordan, has closed its airspace, according to Reuters.
Earlier reports from Israeli army radio revealed that take-offs and landings at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport were suspended following Iran’s missile launches.
Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley after Israelis piled into bomb shelters.
