The United States has said it helped Israel thwart an Iranian ballistic missile attack, with a senior White House official telling reporters that the US military “coordinated closely” with its Israeli counterparts to shoot down the projectiles.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that “US Navy destroyers have joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down incoming missiles.”

“In short, based on what we know at this time, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” Sullivan said at a White House news briefing.

“This was primarily the result of the professionalism of the (Israeli military). But not least thanks to the skilled work of the US military and the meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack.”

Asked about Washington’s view on possible Israeli retaliation, Sullivan said discussions were still ongoing between American and Israeli military and political leaders. “We want to have in-depth consultations with the Israelis,” he said.

Sullivan later added: “We are proud of the actions we have taken together with Israel to protect and defend Israel. We have made it clear that there will be consequences – serious consequences – for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that happen.”

Analysts have been warning for months that the failure of US President Joe Biden’s administration to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to agree to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will throw the Middle East into a regional war would push.

“A regional war becomes inevitable if the United States continues to finance and assist Netanyahu and all his war crimes, his genocide and his attacks on all his neighbors,” said Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). ), a think tank in Washington, DC.

“This will not stop without the United States putting its foot down and saying, ‘We will not send any more weapons to Israel. We will not finance or assist Israeli crimes,” Jarrar told Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday evening in retaliation for the killings of people in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as for the recent killings of Hamas, Hezbollah and IRGC leaders.

The shelling came just hours after the Israeli army said it had launched “limited” ground incursions in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah denied that Israeli forces had entered Lebanese territory.

The Israeli army, which has been exchanging fire with Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border for months, recently escalated its attack on the country. Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas have killed and injured thousands of people in recent weeks.

Amid the wave of attacks and regional tensions, the Biden administration has repeatedly said it favors diplomacy and wants to see a de-escalation.

But critics have noted that the US government continues to provide Israel with steadfast military and diplomatic support.

Washington provides Israel with at least $3.8 billion in military aid annually, and Biden has greenlit $14 billion in additional aid to the US ally since the start of the Gaza war last October.

Earlier on Tuesday, the White House said Biden had “directed the U.S. military to support Israeli defenses against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles aimed at Israel.”

The Pentagon also said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant had discussed “the serious consequences for Iran should Iran choose to launch a direct military strike against Israel.”

The statement did not explain what those consequences would be.

This morning, @VP and I have convened our national security team to discuss Iranian plans to launch an imminent missile attack on Israel.

We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend itself against these attacks and protect American personnel in the region.

– President Biden (@POTUS) October 1, 2024

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon that the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s security remains “rock solid.”

“We will continue to stand with the people of Israel at this critical moment,” Matthew Miller told reporters.

But according to Jarrar, the analyst at DAWN, the Biden administration’s “blank check” policy toward Israel has led to the current escalation.

“The Biden administration is not functioning well and there is no one behind the wheel. There is no leadership whatsoever,” he said.

“This government is completely absent. They give Israel 100 percent of what they want, from weapons and money, and they can put 0 percent pressure on Israel. Netanyahu gets everything he wants, but he doesn’t have to pay a price for anything.

“What we have seen today is the result of this failed American leadership in the Middle East and North Africa. The region is officially engaged in a full-scale regional war.”