Lebanon’s War Crisis Averted in Stormy Oct. 11 Cabinet Meeting

Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief and a member of Israel’s War Cabinet, disclosed that during the early stages of the conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Israel nearly initiated a preemptive strike against Hezbollah. This decision was reversed at the last minute during a heated Cabinet meeting on October 11, which Eisenkot described as intense and argumentative.

Eisenkot, in an interview on Israel’s Channel 12 TV, stated that he strongly opposed this preemptive attack, believing it would have been a strategic error potentially leading to a widespread regional war. He emphasized that the objections he and others raised during the Cabinet meeting were crucial in averting the strike.

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that a decisive intervention by U.S. President Joe Biden played a significant role in stopping the attack. According to their sources, Israeli warplanes were already airborne and awaiting orders when Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to stand down.

Eisenkot credited the presence of himself and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who were part of the opposition but had joined Netanyahu’s war leadership, with preventing a potentially detrimental decision.

During the Cabinet meeting on October 11, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and high-ranking army officials were reportedly advocating for a strike on Hezbollah. Hezbollah, a formidable adversary of Israel and a group believed to possess tens of thousands of missiles capable of reaching any part of Israel, had traded cross-border strikes with Israel since the onset of the Gaza war. Despite the escalating tensions, neither side seemed to desire a full-scale war, which would likely result in severe destruction for both countries.

Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, have been adversaries since their 34-day conflict in 2006, which concluded without a clear victor. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has declared in a recent speech that if Israel were to initiate a war with Lebanon, Hezbollah would fight without any restrictions.