US warns of 'severe consequences' for Iran missile attack, will work together with Israel

Following the massive Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel Tuesday night, both Israel and the United States have promised to respond to the aggression. 

The White House also said that there would be “severe consequences” for the Iranian attack, striking a markedly harsher tone compared to the last large-scale Iranian assault in April.

Speaking to his security cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “This evening, Iran made a big mistake – and it will pay for it. The regime in Tehran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and to exact a price from our enemies.” 

Netanyahu’s remarks were echoed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who said, “Iran has not learned a simple lesson - those who attack the State of Israel, pay a heavy price.” 

In a press briefing shortly after the missile attack concluded, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the U.S. is in “ongoing consultations with the Israelis” about the attack, but promised there would be a response. 

“We are proud of the actions that we’ve taken alongside Israel to protect and defend Israel.  We have made clear that there will be consequences — severe consequences — for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” Sullivan told reporters. 

However, Sullivan declined to give any indication as to what type of response the U.S. is seeking. 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin posted to 𝕏 early Wednesday morning, praising the “coordinated defense of Israel” against the attack. 

Austin also expressed condolences for the families affected by the terror shooting in Tel Aviv shortly before the missile attack.

I spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today following today’s outrageous act of aggression by Iran against Israel.  The Minister and I expressed mutual appreciation for the coordinated defense of Israel against nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran and…

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) October 2, 2024

Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder called Iran's attack “significant” and said the US supported Israel's right to defend itself. 

Ryder said the Iranian attack involved almost twice as many ballistic missiles as the April attack, in which the U.S. also aided Israel. He also stated that U.S. Navy destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors against the Iranian ballistic missiles. He did not say how many successful interceptions happened as a result of the U.S. efforts. 

“They fired the interceptors,” Ryder told reporters. “We’re still assessing outcomes of that. I just don’t have more information to provide at this time.” 

Meanwhile, Axios reported that Israeli is planning a significant response on Iran, including possibly targeting Iranian oil facilities or nuclear facilities. 

The Israeli response to the Iranian attack in April was limited, and mostly a technical demonstration of the superiority of Israeli capabilities versus the primarily Russian built Iranian S-300 air defense systems. 

This time, Israel appears to be planning a more aggressive response. Israel has created operational momentum in its fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon and will likely seek to convince Iran that interference in that fight would be costly. 

However, Axios also reported that the Biden administration is trying to limit the Israeli response in order to prevent an escalation between Iran and Israel.