Following the deaths of two soldiers yesterday in Southern Lebanon—Major (res.) Harel Birenstock and Master Sergeant (res.) Tamir Vaknin—as a result of a building explosion, the defense establishment is currently investigating the possibility that the blast was caused by Israeli explosive material, rather than an IED planted by the Hezbollah terror organization.
However, defense officials clarify that this represents a low probability and is merely an investigation based on findings present at the scene. It should be recalled that the severe incident led to several strikes against Hezbollah terror infrastructure and weapons storage facilities by our forces in the sector. Yet, while the Israeli public and defense establishment pressed to approve a harsh response against the terror organization, we reveal for the first time that real drama unfolded last night.
At 9:00 PM, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz convened a discussion regarding the incident, during which the possibility was raised for the first time that the severe explosion may have been caused by Israeli explosives. Consequently, the major response that was slated for execution was frozen, and until Israel definitively understands what caused the blast, it may not be carried out. This comes at a time when briefings were circulated yesterday evening claiming that the IDF was pushing for military action while the political leadership objected.
In the meantime, various reports were circulated claiming that the United States intervened and mediated between the parties, leading to a curbing of escalation and a limitation of the Israeli response. Additionally, the alleged American intervention was cited as the factor that enabled the resumption of the third meeting in Rome, as part of the seventh round of negotiation talks between Israel and Lebanon, aimed at “protecting the momentum built at the negotiating table thus far and preventing the collapse of diplomatic contacts.”