There was concern in the Biden administration about Israel’s immediate response to the Hamas attack.
Washington – After the Islamist attack Hamas on Israel On October 7, there were apparent moves within the Israeli government to launch a comprehensive preemptive strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Like US officials the New York Times reported that concern in government circles about the consequences of such an attack was greatest immediately after the Hamas attack.
But also during the President’s visits Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Israel in the following days, such an option was on the table. In private conversations, Biden and Blinken tried to placate Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of Israel’s war cabinet and pointed out the possible consequences of a two-front war. However, Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant in particular is said to have disagreed.
Israel War: USA was very worried about the Netanyahu government’s war plans
A report from the New York Times According to reports, there was great concern within the Biden administration about the war plans of Netanyahu and his advisers. White House officials said they first expressed concern about the possibility of an expansion of the war when they heard of a debate among Israeli officials about a preemptive strike against Hezbollah and concentrating the main combat effort shortly after the October 7 Hamas attacks of the country on this group.
In the internal Israeli debate, Netanyahu expressed some support for the strike, Israeli officials said. Accordingly, some Israeli military officials had devised a plan focused on attacking Hezbollah and using the pretext of an invasion of the Gaza Strip used as a cover for a major attack in the north. To the disappointment of Gallant, a former Navy special forces commander, and other supporters of the plan, Netanyahu postponed implementation of the plan, officials said.
Fear of escalation: Israel discussed a large-scale preemptive strike on Hezbollah
The fears of USA regarding the at least planned approach are complex. On the one hand, there are fears that Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shiite militia run by the Iran supported, could launch a general attack on Israel from the north. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel have so far been limited to mutual attacks on military targets. This means that the confrontation takes place within the framework of informally established rules. These were established to avoid miscalculations between Israel and Hezbollah in the years following the 34-day war in 2006. A preemptive strike by Israel, the US fears, would most likely escalate into an all-out war.
But there are two other possibilities that give cause for concern: First, an Israeli overreaction to Hezbollah’s rocket attacks, which is not an action as Gallant imagines it, but still results in an escalation. On the other hand, very tough Israeli tactics in an expected ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The USA fears that this could also encourage Hezbollah to join the fight on the ground. In any case, Hezbollah’s entry into the war could prompt Iran to intervene in the conflict and turn it into a regional conflict. At the moment, however, US officials believe that Iran does not want to be involved in such a war at this time.
Israeli war on two fronts poses great risks
The USA also considers a two-front war to be very risky for Israel. The CIA has long believed that Israel would face major challenges in a war against both Hezbollah and Hamas, U.S. officials told the Times. Recent analyzes from security circles point to deep divisions in Israel over Netanyahu’s proposed changes to the judiciary that would have weakened the Israeli army.
The US Secretary of State therefore not only tried to influence Israel. Through Qatar, China and other countries, the United States has sent messages to Iran and Hezbollah urging them to stay out of the war with Hamas. The Pentagon has also deployed two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean and increased troops in the region as a deterrent.
War in Israel: Creating a “new security reality” as the goal
Meanwhile, Gallant spoke about Israel’s war aims in a speech to parliamentarians. Israel’s goal in the fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is to create a “new security reality” for the Israelis. “Three stages” are planned for this. The first stage is the “military campaign” with air strikes, followed by “maneuvers aimed at neutralizing the terrorists and Hamas infrastructure.”
The second stage consists of “low-intensity operations” to “eliminate the last pockets of resistance” and reach “a completely different security terrain.” The third phase will include “the end of Israel’s responsibility for the fate of the Gaza Strip and the creation of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel,” Gallant said. (PaPel)
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