1981: Thank God for Israel.
In 1981, Israel did what no one else had the gonads to do, which was to unilaterally destroy Saddam's nuclear weapons program, setting him back many years. They probably saved themselves and many others from dying in an atomic hell. They were, and still are, roundly condemned for this act, which probably saved millions of lives, and if there were any justice, should have won a Nobel Peace Prize for whoever authorized it.
If you're looking to use this particular incident as an example of why we should NOT undertake preemptive action, you have probably not chosen wisely.