Biden directs US military to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel

US President Joe Biden ordered the US military to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel, the White House said Tuesday after an Iranian salvo was launched on Israel.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris "are monitoring the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room and receiving regular updates from their national security team," the White House said in a statement.

"President Biden directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles that are targeting Israel," it added.

A senior White House official earlier said that Iran would face "severe consequences" if it carried out the attack, which the US raised the alarm over earlier Tuesday.

Iran on Tuesday launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel in retaliation for its recent killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and an Iranian general in Lebanon.

The attack came on the heels of Israel’s deployment of ground forces into south Lebanon.

“In response to the martyrdom of Martyr Haniyeh, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Martyr Nilforoushan, we have targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement after missiles began appearing in the skies over Israel.