President Biden convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the 11th hour to call off a planned strike against Hezbollah days after the Oct. 7 massacre over fears it would spark a region-wide war, a new report says.
Israel allegedly had warplanes awaiting orders to target Lebanese terror groups by striking its forces along the Lebanese border on October 11 when Biden spoke with Netanyahu about the consequences of such a preemptive strike, as American intelligence found no evidence of an imminent Hezbollah invasion, Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Israeli officials are said to be on edge after Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7, with the country’s own intelligence network suggesting repeated attacks are imminent from the Palestinian terror ally in Lebanon.
But Biden allegedly talked Netanyahu and his war cabinet into taking a more conservative approach rather than risking an all-out war in Gaza and Lebanon, sources told the Journal.
The US got a clue about Israel’s alleged plans against Hezbollah after the Jewish state asked American officials for help to stop Hezbollah’s supposed aggression.
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met a week after their phone call was reported on October 11 about a possible Hezbollah attack. via REUTERS Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday. via REUTERS
Biden’s call with Israeli officials over the issue lasted 45 minutes, as he tried to warn them of the consequences of an early strike based on conflicting reports. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has allegedly pushed for a continuation of the offensive, as “a wider war is inevitable,” the source claimed.
With emergency sirens sounding in Israel and the Israel Defense Forces ordered to prepare for an attack on Lebanon, it took about six hours for Netanyahu and his war cabinet to agree to call off the strike, according to the journal.
But Netanyahu on Sunday denied claims that Biden prevented him from attacking Hezbollah, saying Israel made its own decisions and was not influenced by the advice of foreign countries.
Conflict and tensions remain high between Israel and Hezbollah, as supporters of the terrorist group staged a rally in support of Palestinian Hamas terrorists. Getty Images A man was injured in rocket fire between the IDF and Hezbollah. Xinhua/Shutterstock
“I have seen erroneous reports to the effect that the US is blocking, and blocking, us from operational action in the region. This is not correct. Israel is a sovereign state,” Netanyahu said. “Our decisions in war are based on our operational considerations.
“They are not determined by outside pressure. The decision on how to use our forces is the independent decision of the Israel Defense Forces and no one else,” he added.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Israel’s plan was always to achieve victory against Hamas in the south while working on a “fierce deterrent in the north” against Hezbollah.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment Sunday.
President Biden has repeatedly called for Israel to avoid a region-wide war as it battles Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. AP
Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, the US has sought to prevent a similar outcome between the Jewish state and its neighbor to the north, even as the IDF and Hezbollah exchange rocket fire almost daily.
The Iranian-backed terrorist group, which operates in Lebanon, has vowed to continue its attacks on Israel over the IDF’s bombing and ground invasion of Gaza.
On Saturday, Israel announced that it had struck targets linked to Hezbollah along the Lebanese border, a day after the terrorist group killed an IDF soldier in a heated conflict.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
