Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has revealed that Israel’s military command proposed a large-scale preemptive strike against Hezbollah on October 11, 2023, but the plan was ultimately thwarted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, allegedly due to American pressure.

In a recent interview, Gallant described the operation as a missed opportunity that could have dealt a devastating blow to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon. According to him, the plan aimed to eliminate between 12,000 and 15,000 Hezbollah fighters in the first hours of the war. The attack would have involved the detonation of explosive-laden radios attached to the group's combat vests, crippling Hezbollah’s operational capacity.

“I think that the fact that we didn’t act on October 11 is the biggest security-related missed opportunity in the history of the State of Israel—not just during this war,” Gallant stated.

Gallant accused Netanyahu of blocking the operation, citing concerns that Hezbollah’s missile capabilities could lead to the destruction of Tel Aviv. He recalled a meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where Netanyahu allegedly pointed out the window and said, “Do you see all these buildings in Tel Aviv? They will be destroyed, nothing will remain, as a result of Hezbollah’s missile launch capability.”

Gallant, however, disagreed with the prime minister’s assessment and urged him to convene the cabinet immediately. Despite his warnings, the operation was not carried out.

The proposal for a preemptive strike came after Hezbollah began launching missiles at northern Israel in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack. Gallant argued that had the military operation been executed, it could have significantly weakened Hezbollah’s ability to escalate the conflict.

He also revealed that the original plan included the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Gallant’s criticism of Netanyahu extended beyond the failed Hezbollah operation. He accused the prime minister of mishandling the hostage situation in Gaza and delaying ceasefire negotiations, which he claimed could have resulted in the release of more hostages under better terms.

“The Israeli government did not do everything it could have to return the hostages,” Gallant said, adding that the current ceasefire agreement is nearly identical to one proposed months earlier. Had it been accepted earlier, he claimed, Israel could have secured the release of more hostages while making fewer concessions.