US military helped Israel intercept Iran's missiles: What to know
Iranian barrages targeting Israel came after Israeli warplanes struck the outskirts of Beirut, despite the White House publicly signaling its opposition to such strikes.
WASHINGTON — The US military fired air defense interceptors in an attempt to blunt Iran's latest barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at Israel on Sunday, as Tehran seeks to redraw the lines in the stalled conflict and defend the remnants of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
US units in the region fired the interceptors in self-defense, according to a US official who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. There are several hundred US military personnel in Israel, many of whom are running logistics at the Gaza ceasefire monitoring center in southern Israel.
American military officials are still reviewing whether the interception attempts were effective in knocking down any incoming missiles, the official said.
CBS News reported earlier on Monday that the Trump administration for the first time refrained from ordering the US military to defend Israel from Iran's counterattack, which came after Israeli warplanes struck a suburb of Beirut on Sunday after President Donald Trump reportedly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to authorize such strikes.
Officials representing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have repeatedly warned over the past week they will expand their retaliatory attacks if Israel does not halt its strikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah. Sunday's Israeli strike outside Beirut came just days after Israeli and Lebanese officials agreed to informally renew a ceasefire during talks held in Washington.
A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor's request for comment.
