An investigative report, which aired on Sunday on the Israeli show “Hamakor” on Channel 13, highlights how tense Israel’s relations with the White House were during former President Joe Biden's tenure.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the US Mike Herzog revealed during the program that before the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel planned to inform the White House, specifically National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. However, the Americans simply ignored the Israeli call due to the fact that they felt they had been publicly humiliated by Israel over an initiative for a ceasefire in Lebanon that failed to materialize.
“It was agreed that we would update the Americans, at the level of Jake Sullivan,” said Herzog. “We tried setting up a phone call with Jake Sullivan and he didn’t get back to us. He was angry because he thought we had deceived them, and we let them make public the initiative for a ceasefire and make them look foolish, while we are planning to eliminate Nasrallah.”
Ultimately, a phone call between then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was held.
Asked how Austin responded during the call, when Gallant informed him that the strike was about to occur, former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro replied, “I’ll allow others to characterize that call.”
Gallant, who also spoke to the program, recalled, “I updated Austin 15 minutes before the operation. I told him, ‘We’re about to eliminate Nasrallah’. He asked me, ‘When?’. I told him, ‘15 minutes’. He really did not like this. He told me, ‘This could lead to a regional war’. I told him, ‘With all due respect, this man murdered thousands of Israelis and hundreds of Americans. I suggest you carefully consider your response.”
Gallant continued, “So he (Austin) asks me, ‘Are you convinced he’s there?’. I told him, ‘There is a very high probability.’”