US blocks wider Israeli attack on Hezbollah after deadly Lebanon blast, saving peace talks - report

The United States stepped in to prevent a broader Israeli attack on Hezbollah following a deadly explosion in southern Lebanon, reportedly averting a potential escalation that could have jeopardized ongoing ceasefire talks in Rome, according to a Lebanese outlet. Israeli officials sought to launch a more extensive assault on Hezbollah in response to the incident, which occurred on Wednesday and claimed the lives of two IDF reservists and injured four others.

However, this response was blocked by the United States, which the report suggests "saved the third day of negotiations in Rome."

In the incident, IDF soldiers entered a booby-trapped building near Majdal Zoun, a Lebanese village that had not yet been inspected by the IDF and was not part of the pilot zones under the trilateral agreement among Israel, the United States, and Lebanon. The soldiers were killed when an explosive device detonated upon their entry, causing part of the structure to collapse.

Following the incident, Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed concern over the IDF's tactics, questioning why troops entered the dangerous building and requested a reinforcement of operational directives in line with his policy to focus on destroying terrorist infrastructure rather than entering such buildings.

The Israeli military is now investigating the incident to determine why soldiers entered the structure and to ensure that proper clearance procedures were followed, including the use of canine units, ground robots, drones, thermobaric charges, or tank shell fire. IDF officials are also wary of Hezbollah's potential to booby-trap additional buildings in villages under Israeli control in southern Lebanon, a move that could disrupt the peace negotiations.

The IDF has previously located and dismantled thousands of Hezbollah infrastructure sites, including command posts, operational positions, and launch sites, amid ongoing operations in southern Lebanon. The military maintains that Hezbollah has been entrenching itself in these areas, endangering both Lebanese civilians and the strategic interests of Hezbollah and Iran.