"We're responding," Biden said on Saturday when asked if he would respond to missile attacks on US warships in the Red Sea.
US media reported that three US Navy warships had shot down nearly two dozen incoming missiles and drones launched by the Houthis while transiting the Red Sea. No Navy vessels were hit and no US service members were injured during the attack.
Earlier on Saturday, the White House said Biden convened a call with his national security team to receive an update on the situation in the Middle East, review the status of US military force posture in the region, and direct continued diplomatic efforts to coordinate with allies and partners to deescalate the ongoing conflicts.
The State Department also announced that non-essential US personnel in the American Embassy in Beirut had been ordered to leave Lebanon given the spike in violence in the region.
Biden convened his national security team following confirmation that Israeli strikes on Friday had killed Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. The US president called it a "measure of justice," claiming the movement's leader was responsible for killing hundreds of Americans.
Biden's goal is de-escalation in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon through diplomacy, the White House said.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also reportedly called an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council in light of the latest escalation of fighting in the region.