WASHINGTON, October 8. /TASS/. The US Administration is losing trust in the Israeli leadership amid Israel’s escalating standoff with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Axios reported, citing four US officials.
"Our trust of the Israelis is very low right now and for a good reason," one US official said.
In particular, Israel has recently carried out several military and reconnaissance operations without coordinating them with the United States. For example, Israel did not notify the US about its decision to eliminate Hamas Politburo Head Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, one US official said. In some cases, Israel notified the United States only when Israeli planes were already on their way to carry out an airstrike.
In these circumstances, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told Ron Dermer, Minister of Strategic Affairs of Israel, that Washington expects "clarity and transparency" in regards to how Israel plans to respond to Iran’s October 1 missile attack. According to the Axios sources, Sullivan made it clear to Dermer that the US will not be able to help Israel repel any future potential Iranian attacks if Israel continues to keep it in the dark.
The Axios sources claim that the US Administration does not oppose response measures against Iran, but it insists that the Israeli reaction be moderate. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed his American counterpart Lloyd Austin that Israel has not yet made a final decision regarding the timeframe and scale of the Israeli response to the Iranian attack.
On September 23, Israel launched Operation Northern Arrows against Hezbollah units in Lebanon, during which it is carrying out massive airstrikes against the movement’s military facilities. The stated goal is to create secure conditions in Israel’s northern border areas so that tens of thousands of residents can return there. As a result of one of the strikes, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated in Beirut on September 27. The organization confirmed his death and vowed to continue its confrontation with Israel. In the early morning hours of October 1, the Israeli army announced the start of a ground operation in the border areas in southern Lebanon.
On October 1, the Islamic republic launched a massive missile attack against the Jewish state in response to the killing of senior officials from the Palestinian movement Hamas, the Lebanon-based Shia movement Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tehran said that 90% of the missiles hit their designated targets. Israel, in turn, said that Iran had fired some 180 missiles into the country, most of which were intercepted. The Israeli General Staff vowed to choose the right moment to surprise Iran with a counterattack, while Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel would see even larger-scale strikes.