Although the US remains Israel’s most important ally, the Biden administration is said to be increasingly annoyed that the Israelis continue to keep secret their plans to attack Iran and Lebanon.
For example, the US was reportedly given no warning before Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is reported to have exclaimed “I’m sorry, what did you say?” when his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, informed him of the bombings only after they had taken place.
Austin is also reported to have bluntly asked Gallant if Israel is ready to defend itself “on its own” because it did not bother to keep its most important ally informed.
Since the start of the Gaza invasion, the behaviour of the Netanyahu regime has frustrated the US, as the Israelis have repeatedly ignored US warnings and directives and refused to reveal details of their military plans.
US bases under threat
US officials are also reportedly concerned that Israel’s “sudden” attacks will have negative consequences for US interests in the region, including increasing the threat to US bases and personnel in the Middle East.
For example, many of Israel’s air strikes against targets in the region have not been notified to the US in advance – despite the fact that the US has bases in both Syria and Iraq that are at risk of being affected or subjected to retaliatory attacks.
Despite US frustration and heightened tensions, the US-Israeli relationship is described as remaining very strong. It is considered extremely unlikely that the Americans would stop supporting Israel financially or militarily, even if Israel continued to refuse to share its plans.