White House vows consequences for Iran’s attack on Israel

“We are now going to look at what the appropriate next steps are to secure, first and foremost, American interests, and then to promote stability to the maximum extent possible as we go forward,” Sullivan told reporters at the White House. Officials said the attack had been largely ineffective, with one civilian death reported as initial assessments were made.

He declined to say what form the promised repercussions on Iran, already the object of extensive American sanctions, would take. “We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences,” he said. “We will work with Israel to make that the case.”

Sullivan spoke shortly after American destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea shot down multiple missiles launched by Iran, according to U.S. defense officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters after the attack that two U.S. warships, the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole, fired about a dozen interceptors at inbound ballistic missiles, but said officials were still assessing how many of those struck a target. The comments suggested that Israel, with its extensive air defense network, shot down most of the incoming munitions on its own.

“Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We demonstrated, once again, our commitment to Israel’s defense.”

The incident echoes the events of April, when Iran launched a major missile and drone assault in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed a senior Iranian military official in Syria. The assault was an ominous milestone for Israel, already engaged in a punishing war against Iranian-backed Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and what until recent days had been a more limited conflict with Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

This time, the exchange is overshadowed by a deepening engagement in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a series of major airstrikes over the last week and is now conducting ground operations against Hezbollah. The unfolding Israeli campaign, which aims to set conditions for allowing displaced Israelis to return to their homes in northern Israel, abruptly curtailed hopes for a near-term cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s largest and most powerful militant client.

The situation underscores the Biden administration’s failure, despite months of diplomacy, to secure peaceful conclusions to the bloodshed in Gaza and, now, in Lebanon. Iranian officials said Tuesday’s attack was retaliation for a series of recent high-level assassinations, including strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Over the last year, the Biden administration has repeatedly cautioned the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of deflected attacks by adversaries, including Iran, to “take the win” and avoid fueling further escalation by conducting a major counterstrike. It is likely to do so again in this instance.

U.S. officials say they are committed to defending Israel when the country faces external attacks but does not intend to conduct offensive operations in Lebanon or other countries.

U.S. officials said that they detected signs of an imminent Iranian attack in the hours before it was launched Tuesday, but said there was no direct or indirect warning from Iran’s government ahead of time.

During Iran’s April attack, a pair of U.S. destroyers positioned off Israel in the Mediterranean shot down a handful of ballistic missiles; a Patriot missile defense battery shot down a missile over Iraq; and American jets from the 494th and 335th fighter squadrons downed dozens of munitions headed for Israel. This time, the U.S. role appeared to have been even more limited.

Sullivan declined to say whether the Biden administration would undertake a military-led operation to evacuate civilians from Lebanon but cautioned that U.S. citizens should leave the country as soon as possible. The United States conducted such an operation during Israel’s last war in Lebanon in 2006.

John Hudson and Abigail Haushlohner contributed to this report.