As Israel prepared for a ground invasion in Lebanon with the goal of dismantling Hezbollah, the Biden-Harris administration leaked sensitive plans to the press, igniting a wave of reactions across social media.
The Washington Post first broke the story on Monday, as highlighted by The Times of Israel. According to the Post’s report, Israel was “planning a limited ground operation in Lebanon that could start imminently,” as confirmed by a U.S. official.
The operation, while smaller in scale than the 2006 war against Hezbollah, aimed to neutralize militant infrastructure along the border to protect Israeli communities. The source remained anonymous due to the confidential nature of discussions between the two governments.
Israeli forces had already carried out limited operations in Lebanon, according to an Israeli familiar with the situation, also speaking on the condition of anonymity.
This leak sparked criticism, with social media users blasting the Biden-Harris administration.
Constant betrayal.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) September 30, 2024
This is why Israel does not trust Biden-Harris-Blinken. No sooner do they tell our regime of their next step in Lebanon and it’s immediately leaked to the Washington Post! pic.twitter.com/rIqjeB97aM
The outrage comes against the backdrop of what many see as the administration’s repeated undermining of Israel over the years. One notable example occurred when the U.S. joined the United Nations to grant immunity to UNRWA employees who were complicit in aiding Hamas after its massacre of over 1,220 Israelis on October 7.
Moreover, the administration’s failure to inform Congress about critical military aid destined for Israel caused delays in its delivery, and it issued warnings against Israel entering Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold. As Vice President Kamala Harris declared, “It would be a mistake to move into Rafah with any type of military operation.”
This isn’t the first time the Biden-Harris administration has exposed Israeli military plans. In April 2021, the administration leaked information to The New York Times about Israel’s attack on Iran’s ship, Saviz, in the Red Sea.
Amichai Stein of the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation Kann shared that a U.S. official confirmed to the Times: “Israel informed the US it attacked Iran’s ship Saviz in the Red Sea in ‘retaliation for earlier strikes on Israeli vessels’ and added: ‘the ship was damaged under the waterline.’”
Leaks of sensitive Israeli operations have been a persistent issue, dating back to the Obama-Biden administration.
In 2010, then-Vice President Joe Biden faced a crisis in U.S.-Israel relations, with Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren stating that ties were at their “worst crisis since 1975.” Danny Danon, a senior member of Israel’s Likud party, also condemned the administration’s policies as “catastrophic” for Israel.
John Perazzo documented multiple instances of the Obama-Biden administration leaking sensitive Israeli operations between 2010 and 2015. In one of these incidents, the administration leaked details of a secret agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, allowing Israel to use Saudi airspace in case of a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
In 2012, the administration leaked results of a classified war game, leading analyst Yoel Guzansky to assert that the Obama administration was mounting a campaign to prevent Israel from launching a strike on Iran.
In May 2012, Israel defense commentator Ron Ben-Yishai remarked that these leaks would hamper Israeli military decision-making and erode the IDF’s ability to strike with minimal casualties.
Further leaks followed, including the disclosure in 2013 that Israel had attacked a Syrian base holding Russian-made missiles. Israeli officials described the leak as “scandalous” and “unthinkable.” And in 2015, the administration leaked an alleged statement by Mossad chief Tamir Pardo opposing sanctions on Iran—an assertion Pardo swiftly denied.
Tensions between Biden and Israel’s leadership stretch back even further. In 1982, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting, Biden angrily confronted Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin over the establishment of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Begin’s response became legendary: “Don’t threaten us with cutting off your aid… I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers… We will stand by our principles… Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.”
Perhaps it’s time for Biden and Harris to actually stand up for our allies instead of betraying them.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
