Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly clashed with his top defense officials over notifying the Biden administration about a planned September 2024 operation to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, fearing U.S. intervention. While then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi favored informing Washington, believing the U.S. might support a strike given Nasrallah’s alleged links to the deaths of American service members, Netanyahu expressed strong reservations, warning that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would “jump out of his skin” if he learned of the plans. This disagreement highlighted a growing rift between Jerusalem and Washington, with the U.S. prioritizing de-escalation to prevent a wider regional war, while Israel aimed to ‘win the war.’ The operation, which killed Nasrallah and was confirmed by the Pentagon as having no advance warning, marked a significant turning point in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, which had been launching attacks on northern Israel for nearly a year. The book ‘In the War Room: The Inside Story of Israel’s Fight Against Hamas and the Iranian Axis’ by Elliot Kaufman and Yonah Jeremy Bob also details Netanyahu’s initial hesitation for a full-scale Gaza invasion, his later advocacy for continuing the war, and controversies surrounding the official record of his actions on the morning of the October 7th Hamas attack, including allegations of attempts to alter call logs. Furthermore, the book suggests that early Israeli military successes against Iran created an opportunity that convinced President Trump to authorize U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, with Vice President JD Vance playing a critical role in securing American participation in ‘Operation Midnight Hammer.’
Adapted from: Latest World News on Fox News
