Israel warned US a Lebanon operation was coming but gave no details, officials say
20 September 2024, 00:21
Israel warned US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday that a military operation was due to take place in Lebanon but failed to provide further details, officials have said.
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That same day, pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing dozens and injuring thousands in an attack that has been widely blamed on Israel.
A call that took place on Tuesday was one of four between Mr Austin and Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant as tensions boiled over in the Middle East.
At least 37 people were killed, including two children, and some 3,000 wounded in the two days of explosions.
However, the US stressed they had no advanced knowledge of the second wave of attacks.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh on Thursday confirmed that the US had been briefed an operation was due to take place over a series of four calls with Israeli officials.
Andrew Marr speaks to Lebanon's ambassador to the UK | Watch again
This comes as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as he warned Brits to leave Lebanon.
"Tonight I'm calling for an immediate ceasefire from both sides," Mr Lammy told Reuters.
"We are all very, very clear that we want to see a negotiated political settlement so that Israelis can return to their homes in northern Israel and indeed Lebanese to return to their homes."
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Lammy took to social media to warn British citizens the situation could "deteriorate rapidly", with Israel and Hezbollah seemingly on the verge of all-out war.
Mr Lammy tweeted: “My message to British nationals in Lebanon is leave while commercial options remain.
“Tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly.”
The attacks across Lebanon amount to a 'war crime', the Lebanese ambassador to the UK has told LBC.
The claim from Rami Mortada comes as he told Tonight with Andrew Marr that Israel is actively trying to sabotage ceasefire efforts in the region.
"I think behind Lebanon there is another victim of the attack – the American effort to secure a ceasefire," Mr Mortada exclusively told LBC.
Speaking on Thursday following a second wave of explosions in Lebanon, Mr Mortada labelled the attacks a "violation to international humanitarian law".
"Lebanon don’t want an all out war," he insisted, flagging that if Israel continues with "this pattern of behaviour – [it] could drag whole region into it."
"It doesn’t matter whether they’re targeting an armed group or just ordinary civilians - because the attackers did not have prior knowledge of who was using these boobie-traps and [who] was in the vicinity or surroundings of these devices."
