BOMBSHELL: Joe Biden Convinced Benjamin Netanyahu to Stop Launch Of a Pre-Emptive Strike Against Hezbollah in Lebanon
Jose Nino
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According to a Wall Street Journal report, President Joe Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop a pre-emptive military strike against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon days following Hamas militants’ attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. He specifically warned that such an attack could kick off a broader regional war across the Middle East.
Israel claimed to possess intelligence, which US authorities considered as dubious, that Hezbollah fighters were preparing to cross the border as part of a multi-pronged attack. These developments put several Israeli officials on edge and even made them consider a bellicose action against the militant group, per American authorities.
Israeli military aircraft were in the air waiting for the orders from the Israeli government when Biden spoke with Netanyahu on October 11 and instructed the Israeli prime minister to stand down and mull the consequences of this military action, per people familiar with the call.
The Israeli attack didn’t go through.
Biden’s main intelligence, military and national security advisers, which includes CIA Director William Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs CQ Brown held a meeting later on the morning of October 11 for a principal’s committee meeting, chaired by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, to talk about Israel’s proposed military action and came to the conclusion that US intelligence didn’t line up with Israel’s.
After Biden received a briefing, he called Netanyahu and his war cabinet urging Israel to reverse course. After several hours of calls and meetings between American and Israeli officials, the Israelis ended up standing down. Ultimately, US authorities argued that intelligence didn’t point to an imminent Hezbollah attack, which compelled the Israelis to not go through with their attacks.
Over the last two months, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged with several skirmishes on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah is part of the “axis of resistance” made up of Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemeni militias along with irregular Iranian forces that have worked to check American-Zionist influence in the Middle East.
Israel views Hezbollah as a major threat and wants to do everything possible to neutralize it. As a sovereign nation, Israel can carry out the foreign policy it desires. But it should do so without US backing.
The US should not be put on the hook for Israel’s controversial geopolitical decisions, much less be compelled to deploy direct military resources against its enemies.
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