Sirens blared across Israel and loud booms were heard late Tuesday after Iran launched a missile attack on the country. The Israeli military said its missile defense systems carried out "a large number of interceptions," and a U.S. defense official said the United States intercepted some of the missiles to help defend Israel.

After about 45 minutes, the Israel Defense Forces said it was safe for people across Israel to leave shelters, and spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military did not "identify any additional aerial threats from Iran." 

Hagari said that while a few of the Iranian weapons did land and assessments were ongoing, the IDF was "not aware of any casualties." 

American officials said nearly 200 missiles were fired towards Israeli territory from Iran, while the IDF said, "Since the beginning of the Iranian missile attack ... IDF systems have identified approximately 180 missiles fired towards Israeli territory from Iran."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the attack a failure but vowed that "Iran will pay for it."

"The regime of Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves," Netanyahu said. He also thanked the U.S. "for its support of our defense effort."

The Israeli leader, speaking on the eve Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, concluded his remarks by saying, "Israel is on the move, and the axis of evil is retreating. We will do everything necessary to continue this trend, to achieve all the goals of the war, primarily the return of all our abductees, and to ensure our existence and our future."

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday during a news conference from the White House that American Navy destroyers joined Israel "in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles."

In Tel Aviv, the missiles seemed to come in waves, each one starting with sirens blaring out, loud booms, and then silence until the next blaring of sirens began.

"The explosions you hear originate from interceptions or falls [of missiles]. The air defense system detects and intercepts threats all the time," the Israeli military said.

An Israeli security official said most missiles were intercepted "in cooperation" with the U.S. Air Forces Central Command, but that "several hits were identified, and the damage is being assessed."

Sullivan said President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris monitored the attack and the response from the White House Situation Room. He said the U.S. did not know of any deaths in Israel but that they were monitoring a report of a Palestinian civilian death in Jericho in the West Bank. 

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

He said initial reports suggested "that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack." 

In a statement late Tuesday night, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that "U.S. forces in the Middle East intercepted multiple missiles launched by Iran toward Israel," calling it an "outrageous act of aggression by Iran."

"We will never hesitate to protect our forces and interests in the Middle East, and to support the defense of Israel and our partners in the region," Lloyd added. 

In Jerusalem, retired trauma surgeon Bill Schecter, from San Francisco, said he got an alarm on his phone and went into the shelter in his apartment building.

"We heard multiple booms. I suspect it was the Iron Dome shooting down missiles," Schechter said, referring to Israel's defense systems. "There were two waves. One where we heard booms. Then it went silent and we came out. Then we heard another series of booms and had to return to the bomb shelter."

Iran's mission to the United Nations issued a statement that confirmed the attack on Israel and indicated that its direct assault was over.

"Iran's legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime — which involved targeting Iranian nationals and interests and infringing upon the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran — has been duly carried out," the Iranian statement said. Iran supports many proxy groups in the region, and it wasn't clear whether any of those groups might still launch additional attacks on Israel after the Iranian missile salvo.

Iranian state television claimed victory after the attack, saying many missiles had made it through Israel's defense systems and hit their targets, though there was little evidence to support that assertion.

While Iran's missiles appeared to have claimed no lives, Israeli police said two gunmen opened fire on members of the public on a road in Tel Aviv not long before the rockets were fired. The Associated Press cited police as saying six people were killed in the attack before the two suspects were killed.