President Joe Biden said the United States was "fully supportive" of Israel after the missile attack and he would discuss a response with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective, and this is a testament to Israeli military capability and the US military," Biden told reporters at the White House.

"Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel."

Asked by reporters what the response towards Iran would be, Biden replied: "That's in active discussion right now. That remains to be seen."

Speaking earlier to reporters, Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security advisor, said the missile attack was a "significant escalation" by Iran and "there will be consequences, severe consequences."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran's missile attack was "unacceptable" and that the entire world should condemn it.

"Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack," Blinken told reporters.

A Pentagon spokesman said Iran launched about twice as many ballistic missiles Tuesday as it did in its previous direct attack on Israel earlier this year.

"Initial reports indicate that Israel was able to intercept the majority of incoming missiles and that there was minimal damage on the ground," Major General Pat Ryder said.

Ryder said two US destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors as part of the defensive effort.

Tuesday's missile attack came roughly one month ahead of November's US presidential election and Republican candidate Donald Trump seized upon it to criticize his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Speaking at a campaign event in Waunakee, Wisconsin, Trump said that if he was in the White House "today's attack on Israel never would have happened."

Under Trump's administration, "we had no war in the Middle East, we had no war in Europe, we had harmony in Asia," the former president claimed.