What transpired between Washington and Tel Aviv prior to the targeting of Al-Tabtabai in Beirut?

The Israeli airstrike that shook the southern suburb of Beirut and targeted a prominent military leader in Hezbollah has raised questions about the nature of coordination between Washington and Tel Aviv before the strike was carried out, amid fears of a new escalation.

Walid Al-Omari, the director of Al Jazeera's office in Palestine, stated that the information being circulated indicates that Israel enjoys a "clear American cover" to proceed with escalating its military operations in Lebanon, in exchange for reducing the level of tension in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Omari confirmed during a segment on Al Jazeera that the Israeli security establishment does not expect a significant response from Hezbollah to the assassination of Al-Tabtabai.

After the airstrike, a Lebanese security source reported the assassination of Hezbollah military leader Haytham Al-Tabtabai in the Israeli strike on the suburb, which resulted in the deaths of 5 people and injuries to 28 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Israel described Al-Tabtabai (known as Abu Ali Al-Tabtabai) as the acting chief of staff of Hezbollah and the second person in the party.

Later, Hezbollah announced in a statement that "the great jihad leader Haytham Al-Tabtabai was martyred as a result of a treacherous Israeli aggression on the southern suburb."

For his part, former U.S. State Department official Thomas Warick confirmed that Washington was informed of the strike, but was not notified of the identity of the target.

Warick noted during his remarks that Al-Tabtabai is classified as a terrorist by the U.S., expressing his belief that Israel "will not allow its citizens in the north to be threatened amid the party's efforts to rebuild its military capabilities."

However, Axios reported a senior U.S. official saying, "Israel did not inform us in advance about the attack on the southern suburb and we were notified immediately after it occurred."

The official clarified, "We knew for days that Israel was planning to escalate in Lebanon but we did not know the timing of the strike."

In the same context, Al Jazeera's correspondent at the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon), Fadi Mansour, reported that a well-informed U.S. official on military communications between Washington and Tel Aviv stated that Israel had previously informed the United States about carrying out the strike.

However, this official refrained from confirming whether Washington received details about the identity of the target or granted a direct "green light" for the operation.

The source indicated that Washington considers the situation between Israel and Lebanon to be "extremely fragile," and that Israel's increase in the level of its military operations is due to two factors: the Lebanese army's ability to complete the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, which the Americans see as insufficient due to limited capabilities and political mandate, as well as Israeli security assessments that the party is rebuilding itself and enhancing its military capabilities.

Since October of last year, the Israeli occupation army has intensified its attacks on Lebanon, amid ongoing media leaks about plans to launch a new attack on it.

Since the signing of the latest ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah on November 27, 2024, Israel has been violating the agreement daily, resulting in hundreds of casualties and injuries.