The United States warned Israel that the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah could spark a regional war, the Washington Post reports, citing senior US and Israeli officials.
According to the newspaper, even before the attacks by the Palestinian Hamas movement on October 7, 2023, Israel was planning to launch a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah and eliminate its leader Nasrullah, fearing a coup by the movement.
“President (USA) José) Biden called the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that the assassination of Nasrullah would provoke a regional war and asked him to refrain from attacking.” – write the post.
Since last week, the Israeli Air Force has been carrying out massive strikes against Hezbollah targets in different areas of Lebanon. There were also several targeted airstrikes in Beirut, as a result of which senior Hezbollah commanders, including Nasrullah, were eliminated. To date, the Israeli military has reported attacks on several thousand Hezbollah targets. Observers note that Israel has not attacked Hezbollah with such intensity since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.