Fortunately, the American media possesses this amount of freedom in disseminating information, even sensitive ones.
What was published by The Wall Street Journal about Israel's intention to launch a preemptive strike against Hezbollah was thwarted by US President Joe Biden in the last moments in a nearly hour-long call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This article was originally published in and translated from Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.
This call revealed detailed aspects of the war's trajectory in the region, which is approaching completing nearly three months since it began.
The "esteemed" American newspaper did not suffice with this information; it was echoed by the Israeli press, which reported that Israeli planes changed their mission in the skies and returned to their bases.
This confirms that Israel wanted to send a "deterrent" message to Hezbollah but was prevented at the last moment from achieving its goal.
These pieces of information lead to several preliminary conclusions:
Firstly, the United States has been engineering the war and its aftermath since the morning of October 7th.
This engineering led to confining the war in Gaza and neutralizing Iran using the tools of "enticement and intimidation."
The US administration succeeded in completely removing Iran from the Gaza scene, limiting its activities to sporadic clashes on the borders conducted by Hezbollah, actions by the Houthis in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and some "demonstrations" by the Popular Mobilization Forces targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria.
Secondly, the US-Israeli disagreement lies in diagnosing the appropriate timing to settle Hezbollah's presence on the borders and the path that should be taken to achieve the goal.
While Israel, "wounded" on the morning of October 7th, prioritized restoring its prestige and deterrence, the US administration prioritized eliminating Hamas and neutralizing Iran.
Through diplomacy and threats, it succeeded in achieving this goal, which inevitably required restraining Israel.
However, it is evident that this restraint will not last long, and it awaits for the field situation in Gaza to become clear, based on which diplomatic pressure will be activated, accompanied by the threat of a "heavy-handed approach."
Thirdly, Iran quickly picked up on the US signals and, as usual, does not cross red lines but "lurks' behind them, giving its "arms" the freedom to operate with controls that define the limits of movement.
Based on this deliberate reading characterized by wisdom, Hezbollah initiated a war in support of Hamas, which can only be described as a "face-saving war."
It unfolded against the backdrop of "declining red lines," reaching the stronghold of Yahya Sinwar in Khan Yunis.
It may extend to the tunnel from which the battle is being directed without any expectation that Hezbollah will escalate the confrontations.
The US administration halted the Israeli strike against Hezbollah. However, the post-Gaza period will open the "Hezbollah-south of the Litani River" file.
The party will not be content with providing services on demand, such as withdrawing the Radwan Force to the north of the Litani.
It must deal with more dangerous challenges, aware that the post-Al-Aqsa Flood phase is unlike before.