In the early hours of Oct. 11, the White House learned of plans by Israel to launch an aerial assault against Hezbollah, sparking a day of talks that culminated with President Joe Biden talking his Israeli counterpart down from launching the preemptive attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and fellow Israeli officials reportedly feared Hezbollah would cross its borders and capitalize on the aftermath of Hamas’ attack, which just days prior had overrun Israeli defenses and led to the killings of over 1,200 Israelis
Israel asked for U.S. support for its attack but, after the White House convened its top security and military officials, the U.S. concluded its intelligence did not reflect the conclusions Israel had arrived at.