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American air defence systems and Navy assets in the Middle East helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles today that Tehran launched in response to Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and top military leaders, a US official said.
The US has both ground-based Patriot missile defence systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defence systems in the region capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, which Iran fired in multiple barrages in retaliation for Israel's initial attack.
Naval assets also were involved in assisting Israel as Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv, another official said. It was not immediately clear if ships fired interceptors or if their advanced missile tracking systems helped Israel identify incoming targets.
The United States also is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to the strikes.
The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea toward the eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward so it can be available if requested by the White House, US officials said.
American fighter jets also are patrolling the sky in the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and air bases in the region are taking additional security precautions, the officials said.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public or to discuss ongoing operations.
President Donald Trump met with his National Security Council principals today to discuss options.
The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily depart regional bases, in anticipation of the strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran.
The army said dozens of missiles were launched, and the army has ordered residents across the country to move into bomb shelters. (Source: Associated Press)
Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a US official. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Navy has additional assets that it could surge to the Middle East if needed, particularly its aircraft carriers and the warships that sail with them. The USS Carl Vinson is in the Arabian Sea — the only aircraft carrier in the region.
The carrier USS Nimitz is in the Indo-Pacific and could be directed toward the Middle East if needed, and the USS George Washington just left its port in Japan and could also be directed to the region if so ordered, one of the officials said.
US President Donald Trump urged Iran to quickly reach an agreement on curbing its nuclear program as Israel vowed to continue its bombardment of the country.
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It's part of a worldwide closure of the country's diplomatic missions.
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The ambassador spoke shortly after Iran retaliated with a barrage of long-range missiles targeting Israel's commercial capital, Tel Aviv, wounding at least 34 people, the Israeli paramedic service said.
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Then-President Joe Biden initially surged ships to protect Israel following the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that launched the war in Gaza. It was seen as a deterrent against Hezbollah and Iran at the time.
On October 1, 2024, US Navy destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors in defence of Israel as the country came under attack by more than 200 missiles fired by Iran.
