The Times of Israel reports: “The White House on Monday expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself following an IDF strike a day earlier in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah’s military chief of staff.

Asked during a briefing outside the White House whether US President Donald Trump supports the targeted assassination of Haytham Ali Tabatabai, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had not spoken to him specifically about the strike.

‘But of course, the president supports Israel’s right to defend itself and to take out any terrorist threats in the region,’ Leavitt added.

Channel 12 news reported on Sunday that the US had known for several days that Israel was planning to escalate its strikes in Lebanon, but was not alerted in advance about the specific strike on Tabatabai.

The US State Department designated him as a terrorist and sanctioned him in 2016, and the US Treasury offered a $5 million reward for information on him…”