Israel alerts US about upcoming military operation in Lebanon

Israel informed US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during a call on September 17 that a military operation was planned in Lebanon, though specific details were not provided, according to US officials.

On the same day, an attack widely attributed to Israel resulted in the explosion of thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah militants, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media. 

This call was one of four discussions between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that week, as tensions escalated between Israel and Hezbollah, raising concerns about a potential regional conflict.

The two leaders spoke again later on September 17, and the US confirmed it was briefed following the attack. There was an additional call on September 18, and they also communicated on September 15, as noted by officials who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. 

The officials indicated that the US did not receive prior notice of the second wave of attacks, which targeted walkie-talkie radios on September 18. Over the two days of explosions, at least 37 people, including two children, were killed, and around 3,000 were injured.

They emphasised that the US had no involvement in the attacks and expressed surprise at the details of the operations. The strikes on electronic devices this week seemed to be the culmination of a months-long effort by Israel to simultaneously target as many Hezbollah members as possible, but they also affected civilians.

By Naila Huseynova