Karol Markowicz sits down with Wall Street Journal editorial board member Elliot Kaufman to discuss his new book, In the War Room: The Inside Story of Israel’s Fight Against Hamas and the Iranian Axis, co-authored with Jerusalem Post senior military analyst Yonah Jeremy Bob. The book reconstructs the internal debates and decisions that shaped Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks and the multifront conflict that followed.

Kaufman takes listeners inside the Israeli war cabinet as leaders debated whether to strike Hamas in Gaza or confront the potentially larger threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon. He describes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s initial hesitation over a ground invasion of Gaza, concerns that Israeli troops could be walking into a heavily prepared battlefield, and why it ultimately took 20 days after October 7 for Israeli ground forces to enter Gaza.

Kaufman also discusses Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, including the internal deliberations surrounding Hassan Nasrallah and the decision not to give the Biden administration significant advance notice of the strike targeting him. According to Kaufman’s account, Israeli officials disagreed over whether Washington should be informed beforehand and how the United States might respond.

Karol and Kaufman also examine the Biden administration’s approach to Israel during the war, the relationship between Netanyahu and Israel’s military leadership, and what Kaufman and Bob learned through years of reporting and interviews with senior political, military and intelligence officials.

Finally, Kaufman discusses his path to journalism, his work covering Israel and Iran for The Wall Street Journal, his outlook for the American conservative movement, and why observing Shabbat has become one of the most meaningful parts of his life.