Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior defense officials debated whether to notify the Biden administration before Israel’s September 2024 strike targeting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to Wall Street Journal editorial writer Elliot Kaufman, describing the deliberations in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Kaufman said then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi favored informing Washington. Netanyahu, he recounted, believed the administration would oppose the operation and warned that then-National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would react strongly if told.
The Israeli strike on Hezbollah’s Beirut headquarters took place on Sept. 27, 2024, killing Nasrallah. The Pentagon said it had not received advance notice. Gallant spoke with then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after the operation was underway, according to the account.
Kaufman said Israel had spent months awaiting U.S. diplomacy to stop Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israeli communities, without success. He characterized the dispute as part of a broader difference between the governments: Washington prioritized preventing escalation, while Israel focused on defeating its adversaries. These assessments are Kaufman’s account of the discussions and his interpretation of the governments’ positions.
The interview also covered other material in a book co-written by Kaufman and Jerusalem Post military analyst Yonah Jeremy Bob, including Netanyahu’s decisions during the Gaza war and later Israeli and U.S. actions concerning Iran. The source text also recounts allegations by retired Israeli Maj. Gen. Avi Gil concerning the recorded time of a call with Netanyahu on Oct. 7, 2023. Netanyahu’s chief of staff acknowledged seeking a change to the time but denied wrongdoing; Likud said police had recommended closing the matter, while prosecutors had not announced a decision, according to the source.
The account is based chiefly on Kaufman’s descriptions and the cited interviews. Sullivan did not respond by the publication’s deadline.
