Big League Politics 
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…
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