American officials instructed Israel to notify them in advance about targeted eliminations and clarified that they do not approve of bringing down buildings during such operations, according to Israeli sources cited by Channel 12.
The report stated that the US was not surprised by the targeted strike in Beirut in which Israel reportedly attempted to eliminate Ali al-Husseini, commander of the missile array of Hezbollah’s Imam Hussein Division.
As part of the coordination mechanisms between Israel and the US, including military, diplomatic, and security channels, Israel informed the Americans before the operational opportunity to carry out the strike attempt emerged, the report said.
Al-Husseini is affiliated with a force connected to Iran, and Israeli officials viewed the attempted elimination as potentially significant.
The report further stated that consultations were held in Israel during which various limited options were discussed. Since Israel was unable to strike Hezbollah’s main strongholds or bring down buildings, the option ultimately selected involved ground territorial operations.
The IDF has been operating on the ground inside Lebanon, although Israeli officials reportedly believe this may not resolve the issue of explosive drones. The report added that expanding the number of soldiers across a wider area could create additional targets for such attacks.
According to the report, Israel’s current objective is to exact a price from Hezbollah, though additional incidents involving explosive drones in different locations could occur in the near future.