The United States said Tuesday that Iran must suffer "consequences" for its ballistic missile attack on Israel and the United States will coordinate a response with Israeli officials.
"Of course, there must be consequences for Iran for this attack," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
"I'm not going to get into what those consequences are today, but there are things on which we will be coordinating with our Israeli counterparts," Miller said.
The State Department also confirmed that US forces were involved in defending Israel during the Iranian attack.
The White House said Iran's ballistic missile assault on Israel was "defeated and ineffective" but warned that Tehran could expect severe consequences for the attacks.
"Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective," Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden's national security advisor, told reporters.
Sullivan hailed US efforts to repel some of the attacks, which involved American naval destroyers shooting down some of the missiles.
Iran's attack was however a "significant escalation" of tensions in the Middle East, Sullivan said -- adding that it was an "ongoing situation" that meant he could only answer a few questions before getting back to his desk.
"Obviously, this is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event, and it is equally significant that we were able to step up with Israel," Sullivan told the briefing.
The White House official would not say what consequences Tehran could expect to face, saying it would discuss "next steps" with 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 said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said separately that Iran's missile attack was "unacceptable" and that the entire world should condemn it.
"Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack," Blinken told reporters.