The pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat published fresh revelations Monday about the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the late Secretary General of Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 27, 2024.
According to the report, Israel carried out the high-stakes operation without prior coordination with the United States, triggering frustration within the Biden administration. The US was reportedly informed only minutes before the strike, with a senior American official quoted as saying “Israel is making fun of us and making us look like idiots.”
Despite the anger in Washington, Asharq al-Awsat said no effort was made by the White House to halt the operation. The article states that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hesitated for some time before giving the green light, ultimately authorizing the strike at the last moment while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The attack was reportedly carried out just after his address to the assembly.
Former Israeli ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, had advised informing the Biden administration to avoid triggering a diplomatic rift, Asharq al-Awsat claims. Netanyahu initially resisted, but relented under pressure from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and top Israeli security chiefs. In the end, only US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was notified—too late to intervene. Upon learning of the strike, Sullivan is reported to have reacted angrily: “You are pushing us to negotiate a ceasefire in Lebanon while preparing to assassinate Nasrallah. This puts us in an impossible position.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was given a more formal warning, 15 minutes prior to the strike, by Gallant, who conveyed that Nasrallah’s presence at the targeted site in Beirut’s Haret Hreik suburb was “almost certain.”
Israeli media added new layers to the account. Channel 13 reported that plans to assassinate Nasrallah had existed since the 2006 Lebanon War but were repeatedly shelved due to fears of regional escalation. This time, Israeli intelligence allegedly identified a rare opportunity: Nasrallah was attending a confidential strategic meeting alongside senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Official General Abbas Nilforoushan.
Citing Le Parisien and Israel’s Channel 11, Asharq al-Awsat pointed to an Iranian intelligence operative as the source of the crucial leak that pinpointed Nasrallah’s whereabouts.
The final green light reportedly came after approval from Israel’s security elite, including Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Mossad director David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and Defense Minister Gallant. Netanyahu, according to multiple sources, insisted the operation be delayed until after his speech to the UN. The strike was launched at 6:20 PM local time. Minutes later, he received a brief message: “It’s done.”
Comments