Israel informed the United States only moments before the Beirut strike on Friday, as confirmed by an Israeli official and two US officials. The target of the strike was not immediately shared with the US, raising questions about the level of coordination between the two allies.
According to one of the US officials, Israel notified the US government about the military action once the operation was already underway, with Israeli planes already in the air. The official stated that this notification did not qualify as a proper heads-up, indicating a lack of advance knowledge on the part of the US.
Reports suggest that the target of Israel's strike was Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The Israeli military is currently working to verify whether Nasrallah was killed in the operation.
This incident marks the second time in a short period that US officials have expressed frustration over the lack of notification before major Israeli operations in Lebanon. Prior to a recent operation that caused hundreds of Hezbollah pagers to explode, Israeli officials had provided a vague heads-up to the US, leaving them unaware of the specifics of the impending action.
Before the latest Beirut strike, Israel once again notified the US of an operation in Lebanon. However, the US was only informed shortly before the strikes, with the operation already in progress. The lack of advance warning has left US officials seeking more details to understand the nature and objectives of the operation.
These developments highlight the complexities of the relationship between Israel and the US, particularly in terms of communication and coordination regarding military actions in the region. The incidents also underscore the challenges of maintaining strategic alignment and transparency between allies in sensitive security matters.
