U.S. is helping Israel shoot down Iranian missiles, American officials say

The United States military is helping to sprout down Iranian missiles and projectiles being launched astatine Israel, 3 American officials told NBC News connected Friday.

The U.S. took the antiaircraft actions aft Tehran targeted Israel successful retaliation for Tel Aviv's continued attacks connected much than 200 targets successful Iran, including atomic sites, according to Israel Defense Forces.

The Pentagon had precocious moved subject assets into the portion up of Israel's preemptive strike, different U.S. authoritative told NBC.

The assets see U.S. Navy destroyers that were positioned disconnected the seashore of Israel successful bid to intercept aerial counterattacks from Iran, that authoritative said. The U.S. besides utilized ground-based interceptors, including THAAD and Patriot batteries, 2 U.S. officials told NBC.

Photos and videos from Tel Aviv showed Israel's "Iron Dome" rocket defence strategy intercepting rockets implicit the city.

The U.S. has insisted that the American subject was not progressive successful Israel's "unilateral action."

But President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal connected Friday that the U.S. was alert of Tel Aviv's plan. And successful a call with NBC, helium seemed pleased with Israel's performance, saying, "They had the finest instrumentality successful the world, which is American equipment." 

Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke earlier Friday, a U.S. authoritative told NBC.

Iran's authoritative authorities quality bureau said aft launching its counterattacks, "The Hard Retaliation cognition has begun."

"Iran has launched a almighty and decisive effect to the Zionist regime's caller brutal attack," the bureau said. "Just moments ago, Iran began firing hundreds of ballistic missiles toward the occupied territories."

Video showed missiles striking Tel Aviv.

Israeli defence systems are operating to intercept the missiles, according to IDF, which instructed the nationalist to participate protected spaces and stay determination until further notice.

U.S. banal markets closed little Friday, arsenic Iran's retaliatory strikes fueled fears of a broader determination conflict. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell much than 700 points, oregon astir 2%, portion the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each dropped much than 1%.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, successful a statement, said, "The Zionist authorities volition not stay unscathed from the consequences of its crime."

"The Iranian federation indispensable beryllium guaranteed that our effect volition not beryllium half-measured," Khamenei said.

Iran volition not enactment successful the sixth circular of atomic negotiations with the United States scheduled for this weekend, Iranian authorities tv reported earlier.

The talks were expected to instrumentality spot connected Sunday successful Muscat, Oman.

"We are inactive hoping for talks," a U.S. authoritative said Friday morning, hours aft Israel launched its Operation Rising Lion battle connected Iran.

But the Times of Oman reported that the Oman News Agency and Iranian authorities tv said the talks were suspended until further notice.

Israel said it had struck Iranian atomic sites successful Isfahan and Natanz, on with galore different targets.

Israeli Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the attacks, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, successful summation to targeting Iran's atomic program, are intended to degrade the nation's long-range rocket capabilities, NBC reported.

Defrin said Israel is alert of Iran's volition to motorboat missiles and drones successful retaliation.

Meanwhile, 2 Iranian quality agencies reported that 2 explosions were heard adjacent the nation's Fordo atomic enrichment site, according to NBC. That tract is buried heavy underground.

Air defence systems were activated successful cardinal Tehran.

Trump earlier Friday urged Tehran to scope a atomic woody "before determination is thing left," hours aft Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against Iran.

"I gave Iran accidental aft accidental to marque a deal," Trump said connected his Truth Social media platform.

He added that helium warned Tehran that "the United States makes the champion and astir lethal subject instrumentality anyplace successful the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a batch of it, with overmuch much to travel - And they cognize however to usage it."

Circumstances "will lone get worse," but further bloodshed could inactive beryllium prevented, Trump said.

"Iran indispensable marque a deal, earlier determination is thing left, and prevention what was erstwhile known arsenic the Iranian Empire," helium wrote.

The U.S. said it was briefed by Israel connected the attacks, which were launched aboriginal Friday section time, but did not enactment successful them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency had said that arsenic of Friday morning, Iran's Isfahan atomic tract was not impacted, and "no summation successful radiation levels has been observed astatine the Natanz site."

The archetypal question of airstrikes killed Iran's Revolutionary Guard Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salam, Iranian authorities media reported.

Israel's Defense Ministry said astir of the apical brass of the IRGC died successful the attack. CNBC could not independently verify this report.

Trump pulled the U.S. retired of the archetypal Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action atomic woody during his archetypal word successful the White House, and imposed wide-ranging and economically debilitating sanctions against Tehran.

But Trump has been steadfast successful pursuing a caller woody implicit Iran's atomic programme since returning to the White House earlier this year.

However, negotiations betwixt the U.S. and Iran person yet to carnivore fruit.

Tehran has accused Washington of not respecting Iran's close to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes.

— CNBC's Natasha Turak contributed to this report.