WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden has directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles targeting Israel, the White House National Security Council said on Tuesday.

Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are monitoring the attack from the White House situation room and receiving regular updates, NSC spokesperson Sean Savett said in a post on X.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Costas Pitas; writing by Susan Heavey)