On the Eve of the Lebanon Pager Blast, Israeli Defense Chief

On September 19, local time, some U.S. officials revealed that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the 17th that "a military operation was imminent in Lebanon." On the same day, a large-scale pager explosion occurred in Lebanon; the next day, a walkie-talkie blast happened, cumulatively resulting in more than 30 deaths and approximately 3,000 injuries.

According to the Associated Press, citing anonymous U.S. officials, since the 15th, Gallant and Austin had four phone calls: one on the 15th; on the 17th, before and after the pager explosion in Lebanon, they each had a phone call. Gallant first briefly informed Austin that "an operation was imminent" without providing details, and then explained the situation to the U.S. side afterward.

In addition, according to a report by The New York Times on the 19th, several current and former U.S. defense and intelligence officials, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that Israel was the mastermind behind the explosions of communication devices in Lebanon.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh acknowledged on the 19th that the U.S. and Israeli defense ministers had four recent phone calls, but did not provide detailed information. Singh said that in Austin's phone call with Gallant on the 18th, Austin reaffirmed the U.S.'s firm support for Israel.