‘An Israeli preemptive strike against Hezbollah was averted early in Gaza war’

Israeli War Cabinet member confirms that a preemptive strike against Hezbollah was called off during the war with Hamas.

A member of Israel’s War Cabinet confirmed that early in the war against Hamas in Gaza, an Israeli preemptive strike against Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia was called off at the last minute. Gadi Eisenkot, a former Army chief, said he was among those arguing against such a strike in what he described as a stormy October 11 Cabinet meeting that left him hoarse from shouting.

Such a preemptive attack would have been a “strategic mistake” and would likely have triggered a regional war, Mr. Eisenkot said in a wide-ranging interview broadcast late Thursday on Israel’s Channel 12 TV.

The interview marked the first time Mr. Eisenkot spoke in public about disagreements among Israeli leaders over the handling of the war, which was triggered by Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel.

A month ago, The Wall Street Journal , reporting on the dramatic events of October 11, said intervention by President Joe Biden was key to averting the strike. Israeli warplanes were in the air, awaiting orders, when Mr. Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him to stand down, the report said.

Mr. Eisenkot said loud objections raised by him and others during the Cabinet session were key to calling off the strike. At the time, he and former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, both Opposition lawmakers, had just joined Mr. Netanyahu to help lead the war. Asked if their presence prevented a bad decision, he said: “Unequivocally.”

During the October 11 meeting, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and senior Army officials were reportedly pressing for a strike against Hezbollah, considered by Israel to be a much more formidable foe than Hamas. Hezbollah is believed to have tens of thousands of missiles that can reach any target in Israel. Since the start of the Gaza war, Israel and Hezbollah have traded cross-border strikes with gradually escalating intensity, even though neither side is believed to seek an all-out war which is bound to devastate both countries.