An Israeli preemptive strike against Hezbollah was averted early in the Gaza war, top official says

JERUSALEM (AP) — 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 Oct. 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, Eisenkot said in a wide-ranging interview broadcast late Thursday on Israel’s Channel 12 TV.

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

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

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 Defense Minister Benny Gantz, both opposition lawmakers, had just joined Netanyahu to help lead the war. Asked if their presence prevented a bad decision, he said: “Unequivocally.”

During the Oct. 11 meeting, Defense 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.

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah are bitter enemies who fought a 34-day war in 2006 that ended in a draw. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech recently that if Israel started a war with Lebanon, the group would fight it “with no limits.”