Fox’s Jennifer Griffin on How the U.S. is Likely Helping Israel to Shoot Down Incoming Iranian Missiles

The Associated Press confirmed on Friday that the U.S. is helping Israel to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles from Iran.

A U.S. official “spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations” to the AP, but did not confirm exactly how the U.S. was assisting Israel, which Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent, Jennifer Griffin discussed at length during a Friday hit.

Griffin told anchor Martha MacCallum, “I can confirm with regional sources that a third wave of ballistic missile strikes is taking place from Iran toward Israel. I’m told that there are about 100 ballistic missiles that have been fired from Iran during this attack.”

“As we reported earlier, the Iranians have mobile ballistic missile launchers. They have about 100 of them, give or take maybe a few more, but about 100 they can launch at one time. That’s why we have seen these three waves of about 100 missiles at a time toward Tel Aviv,” Griffin began, explaining the scale of the attack. She went on to explain the U.S.’s possible role in the region at the moment:

It’s been quite extraordinary that actually so few have gotten through. Now, of course, only one ballistic missile needs to get through the layered air defense system in order to cause terrible casualties and potential devastation. But as of right now it looks like the air defense systems are holding up. This is a layered defense system. Let’s remind our viewers how this occurred back in October. Back in October when the Iranians fired 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, that is when the U.S. Military, U.S. Navy vessels that were based in the Mediterranean Sea helped to intercept about two dozen of those missiles.

The rest were taken care of by the three layers of defensive missile shield: the David’s Sling, the Arrow, and Iron Dome. And you don’t want to have to rely on the Iron Dome at that point, because that would mean that the ballistic missile had gotten in too close to the capital, so those upper layers are intercepting the ballistic missiles as we speak.

Right now, Israeli officials have said that the U.S. Military is helping with Israel’s defense. The U.S. Military is not commenting on whether any of its assets are involved or how they are involved. But we have understood from, of course, past experience that the U.S. Military has said that they would defend Israel should Iran strike Israel.

So what I would expect is happening right now – we can confirm that there are two U.S. Navy destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean: the USS Sullivans as well as the USS Arleigh Burke. A third U.S. Navy destroyer, Thomas Hudner, is steaming as we speak from the Western Mediterranean to the Eastern Mediterranean and should be in position in the coming hours and days.

That is significant because those two Navy destroyers that are there, they are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. You wouldn’t have any need right now per se for, unless there were drones or cruise missiles fired, for U.S. F-15s or F-16 fighter jets. Those are not going to be used in this case because these are ballistic missiles. They can’t do anything against ballistic missiles even though the U.S. has a significant air presence at bases from Iraq to Jordan to across the Gulf and as well as on board those Navy vessels.

But my guess is that the U.S. is sharing intelligence at this point in time to help the Israelis with the incoming ballistic missile strikes and also those two Navy vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean are likely helping with some of the interceptions.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.