New videos show US Navy warship firing interceptors to fend off Iranian ballistic missiles launched at Israel

The destroyer USS Bulkeley fires an interceptor to defend Israel from an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.

New video footage shared by the US Navy shows an American destroyer firing interceptors to engage the Iranian ballistic missiles launched at Israel on Tuesday.

Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said in a statement on Wednesday that two destroyers operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea engaged multiple Iranian missiles in defense of Israel.

The ships involved in Tuesday’s engagement were USS Cole and USS Bulkeley. The destroyers are equipped with the highly advanced Aegis Combat System, which was designed for ballistic missile defense.

“Multiple missiles are believed to have been successfully engaged at this time,” Urban said in a Navy statement shared with B-17 that included footage of the Bulkeley launching interceptor missiles.

Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in what Tehran said was retaliation for the Friday killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, said a majority of the missiles were intercepted by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the US.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US military “coordinated closely” with Israel to defend the country against the massive attack. He said that American destroyers joined Israeli air-defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder identified the destroyers as the Cole and Bulkeley. He said they fired roughly a dozen interceptors against the inbound Iranian missiles.

It marks the second time in less than six months that the US military has defended Israel from an Iranian missile attack. Tehran fired more than 300 missiles and drones in April, a handful of which were intercepted by American forces.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley, which played a role in shooting down Iranian missiles that were fired at Israel on Tuesday.

The US has repeatedly said that it will defend Israel and protect its own forces in the Middle East from any attack launched by Iran or its regional proxies.

Beyond the Cole and Bulkeley, the US has additional naval assets in the Eastern Mediterranean and around the Middle East — more than it did in the spring — for such scenarios. The Pentagon also has significant airpower assets in the region, and as of Tuesday, more forces were coming.

Some of the Iranian missiles that were fired on Tuesday struck Israeli airbases, although the massive barrage did not appear to cause significant damage. Top US officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, said Israel — with American support — managed to defeat the attack.

Israel has vowed to respond to the attack; it struck Iran directly after the unprecedented April bombardment and has hinted that it could do so again this time around.

“Iran’s attack is a severe and dangerous escalation. There will be consequences,” Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, said on Tuesday. “We will respond wherever, whenever, and however we choose, in accordance with the directive of the government of Israel.”