September 18th 2024.
According to three sources familiar with the matter, Israeli officials have notified the US about an upcoming operation in Lebanon on Tuesday. However, they did not provide any details about the nature of this operation during a call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant early Tuesday morning.
As a result, US officials were left in the dark until reports of hundreds of exploding pagers emerged a short time later, the sources revealed. It has been confirmed that Israel was behind this bold attack, which has further heightened tensions in an already volatile region. The operation was a joint effort between Israel's intelligence agency, the Mossad, and the Israeli military. The Lebanese government has strongly condemned this as "criminal Israeli aggression."
Wednesday saw another wave of explosions, as at least 20 people were killed and over 450 were injured by detonating walkie-talkies. This came just one day after the initial pager blasts, which claimed the lives of at least 12 people. The timing of these attacks was particularly concerning, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was en route from Washington to Cairo at the time. US diplomats were shocked as they watched the breaking news unfold in real-time on their plane TVs.
This is not the first time that Israel has taken provocative actions while Blinken was visiting the Middle East. However, this specific operation has sparked fears of a potential escalation in the region, something that the US has been trying to avoid for a long time. In response to these concerns, Blinken stated that the US had no knowledge of or involvement in these incidents.
The US also sent a message to Iran through a back channel, assuring them that they were not responsible for the attack and urging them not to escalate the situation. Unfortunately, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was injured in the explosion, according to Iranian state media. Throughout the ongoing Gaza conflict, the US has consistently been sending indirect messages to Tehran, urging them not to escalate the situation.
After it became clear that thousands of Hezbollah members were wounded by the exploding pagers, Gallant and Austin spoke again later on Tuesday. However, officials have not disclosed what was discussed during this second call. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also confirmed that the US was not involved in the attacks and had no prior knowledge of the planned explosions.
It is worth noting that Jean-Pierre's statement was very precise, as the US was not specifically informed about the exploding pagers in advance. The notification from Israel was quite vague, leaving US officials with many questions about the nature of the operation.
Over the past 11 months, Israel has retaliated to the launch of Hezbollah drones and missiles by carrying out strikes in Lebanon. They have also targeted senior Hamas officials in the country. This has led to speculation about the extent of Israel's operations in Lebanon and what their future plans may entail.
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