US Defense Sec. Austin furious with Gallant over lack-of-notice on Nasrallah strike

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was furious with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel when he was informed with very little notice that the IDF was about to kill Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

However, a US defense official said that the description of the call between Austin and Gallant was overstated and that a more accurate description would be that Austin was firm and candid in his conversation with Gallant.

Throughout the war, Gallant informed Austin of major developments, which has been a signature part of how the two governments have communicated, especially given the low level of trust between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Considering that Israel changed foreign ministers and that Netanyahu has not given either Eli Cohen or his replacement Israel Katz much authority over higher-level foreign affairs (as opposed to internal Foreign Ministry staffing and relations with lower-profile countries), the Gallant-Austin relationship has taken on even more importance than the standard close relationship between Israeli and US defense chiefs.

Further, the two have met more often than some of their predecessors due to the numerous emergencies brought about by the war, in addition to their over 125 phone calls, with some coming multiple times in a day.

The two have developed a close relationship beyond the professional issues involved in coordinating the two countries’ defense strategies, and yet Austin essentially lost it with Gallant over the Nasrallah killing and the short notice provided.

The most important factor for Austin and the Biden administration throughout the war regarding Hezbollah has been to avoid falling into a larger regional war.

America's goal is to stop regional war

The US has urged Israel multiple times to act less aggressively or to avoid taking certain actions against Hezbollah to prevent such a scenario.

The implication is that in this case Gallant and Israel informed the US very late in the game so as to avoid a debate or situation where they could be pressured into refraining from acting.

This decision, on top of the decision itself to kill Nasrallah, which Israel likely correctly predicted the US would have opposed, appears to have been an additional reason for Austin’s personal anger at Gallant, despite his general trust in Gallant as one of the most apolitical and substantive members of the Netanyahu government, who has generally valued US advice more than many others in the government.