“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had no warning of an Israeli attack on Beirut. Source: Austin, quoted by the Pentagon website Austin’s direct speech: “The United States did not participate in the Israeli operation.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had no warning of an Israeli attack on Beirut.
Source: Austin, cited by the Pentagon website
Direct speech Austin: “The United States was not involved in Israel’s operation. We had no advance warning.
My conversation with Minister Galant (Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant – ed.) took place at a time when the Israeli operation was already underway.
As you know this surgery was just a few hours ago and they are still doing evaluations so I don’t have any additional information or specifics at this time. You have repeatedly heard me say that total war should be avoided.”
Details: Austin added that diplomacy is the fastest way to allow displaced Israeli and Lebanese citizens to return to their homes on both sides of the border.
The head of the Pentagon also said that he will soon have another conversation with Galant, during which he hopes to get new details about the Israeli attack on Beirut.
What preceded: The Israel Defense Forces said it had struck Hezbollah’s headquarters and warehouses in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Prehistory:
- On September 17, hundreds of Hezbollah fighters in Beirut and other cities were injured when their pagers, which they used to communicate, exploded. Lebanon believes the pagers were hacked and remotely detonated by Israel. 12 people died, including members of the Hezbollah group. It is also known about more than 2,700 wounded.
- Citing a high-ranking informant in the Lebanese security agencies, Reuters reported that Israel’s Mossad intelligence service planted a small amount of explosives in 5,000 Taiwanese pagers ordered by the Lebanese group Hezbollah a few months before the explosions.
- On September 18, a series of explosions rang out again in Lebanon. Detonated wireless communication devices – portable radio receivers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Hezbollah group.
- On September 22, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog denied the country’s involvement in the explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon.