2024-10-01 17:46:33
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was not aware of the planned Israeli attack on Beirut and that he discussed the situation with his Israeli counterpart only after the operation began.
The news agency Reuters writes about this.
The head of the Pentagon also announced his intention to contact Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant again in the near future to obtain up-to-date data.
“We had no advance warning. As you know, only a few hours have passed since the attack and its results are still being assessed,” Austin said.
It is known that he has repeatedly expressed fears that a full conflict between Hezbollah terrorists and Israel would lead to serious consequences for both sides, emphasizing the importance of diplomatic efforts. He noted that all-out war should be avoided and stressed that diplomacy remains the best way to return evacuated Israelis and Lebanese to their homes.
Earlier, Cursor wrote that on September 27, the IDF carried out an airstrike on the central headquarters of Hezbollah terrorists, located in the southern suburbs of Beirut. After this, the Israeli security system increased vigilance. This decision is due to the fact that the IDF does not exclude the possibility of a retaliatory attack from Iran, especially considering that as a result of this operation the leader of the terrorist group Hassan Nasrallah could be eliminated.
In addition, Cursor has already reported that Israel is checking whether Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah was at the terrorist group’s headquarters in Beirut during the strike, which was carried out by the IDF Air Force.