Israel planned to launch a preemptive strike against Hezbollah on October 11 which was narrowly averted due to intervention from U.S. President Joe Biden, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. He urged them to form a broad national unity government and convene the war cabinet, calling it "a matter of life and death." After being briefed, Biden spoke with Netanyahu and the war cabinet, urging Israel not to proceed with the strike. Netanyahu wasn't entirely convinced, while more hawkish members of the war cabinet, particularly Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, argued that a broader war was inevitable and wanted to proceed with the plans. Following further discussions and meetings, six hours later - according to the report - Israel abandoned the preemptive attack and essentially accepted the American assessment that there was no evidence of an imminent Hezbollah attack.

Source: Wall Street Journal December 23, 2023 23:19 UTC