The United States intervened last night (Wednesday) to prevent a wide-scale escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz considered a significant military response following the severe incident in Majdal Zoun, in which two soldiers were killed and others wounded, according to a report published Thursday morning in the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan.
According to the report, while negotiations between the parties were ongoing in Rome, Washington acted swiftly to scale down the Israeli retaliation and prevent events on the ground from derailing progress in the talks.
The newspaper claimed that American intervention allowed the third day of discussions to proceed as scheduled.
The IDF had requested to launch a broad offensive against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, but the political leadership halted the plan, according to the report.
It was claimed that Israel ultimately settled for a more limited wave of strikes, which included aerial bombardment and artillery fire across several sectors in Southern Lebanon.
A Lebanese official told the newspaper that the state attempted to contain tensions through a series of political and security contacts.
According to the official, a lack of cooperation on Hezbollah’s part, combined with Israel’s insistence on acting against any perceived threat, leaves the possibility of escalation wide open.