US says it did not receive advanced warning about Israeli strike in Beirut

Israel’s military said it carried out a “precise strike” on Hezbollah’s central headquarters in south Beirut on Friday.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced the strike in a televised address.

Hagari said the headquarters “served as an epicenter of Hezbollah’s terror” and was “intentionally built under residential buildings" as part of the group's “strategy of using Lebanese people as human shields.”

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the airstrikes on the Haret Hreik district destroyed four buildings, turning them into a pile of rubble. The station said more than 15 missiles struck the area at the same moment.

The attack sent huge clouds of orange and black smoke billowing into the skies.

Israel’s three main TV channels all flashed headlines that Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the strike.

The Israeli army had no comment on the reports that Nasrallah was the target. But given the size and timing of the blast, there were strong indications that a high-value target was inside the building at the time.

U.S. administration gathering information on the strike

White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the administration was still gathering information on Friday’s strike. He added that U.S. officials were not given pre-notification from Israelis about the strike.

President Joe Biden was in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Friday to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of a childhood friend. His national security team briefed him on the Beirut strike after he delivered the eulogy, according to the White House.

Pentagon says U.S. got not advance warning of the strike by Israel in Beirut

The Pentagon said Friday that the U.S. got no advance warning of the strike.

Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was on the phone with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as it was occurring. She declined to say whether Gallant informed Austin about the strike or who it targeted during the call.

Asked if the U.S. considers the strike an escalation in the conflict, Singh said the U.S. is still assessing it.