CNN: Israel notified US of Lebanon operation, but did not disclose details
Israeli authorities notified the US about the operation in Lebanon, but did not disclose details, reports CNN citing sources.
U.S. officials were stunned by the pager blasts. When the first reports emerged, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was flying from Washington to Cairo, and diplomats were watching breaking news in real time on in-flight televisions. Blinken later told a news conference in Egypt that the U.S. was “not aware of these incidents and was not involved in them.”
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In addition, Washington contacted Tehran through unofficial channels. The US assured that it was not involved in the attack and called on Iran not to escalate the situation.
On September 17, multiple pager explosions occurred in several areas of Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Palestinian movement Hamas said it blamed Israel for the pager explosions in Lebanon.
In addition to pagers, ICOM radios, laptops, tape recorders and other gadgets began to explode in Lebanon. The Israeli publication The Jerusalem Post reported that the first reports of more detonations appeared during a farewell ceremony for four Hezbollah members.
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