US says it helped Israel shoot down Iran missiles

The US fired about a dozen interceptors at Tuesday's barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel, the Pentagon says.

US President Joe Biden said the US "actively" supported Israel's defence at his direction. He said he had spent the morning in the Situation Room - the White House hub for handling serious national security issues.

The Israeli military said about 180 missiles were fired at Israel, most of which were intercepted.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended the attack, calling it a "decisive" response "in defence of Iranian interests and citizens".