Israel’s restrained response to the deaths of two reservists in southern Lebanon on Wednesday during a “ceasefire” aroused fierce criticism among the Israeli public.

Washington moved urgently to contain the crisis, “succeeding in limiting Israel’s response Wednesday evening and preventing the negotiations from collapsing,” the Lebanese Nidaa Al-Watan newspaper reported, cited by Channel 12 News.

According to the report, “the U.S. intervention proved decisive in preserving the third day of Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome,” which are scheduled to resume Thursday.

A senior Lebanese official told Nidaa Al-Watan that Lebanon sought to defuse tensions in southern Lebanon through a series of diplomatic and security contacts. However, Hezbollah’s lack of cooperation brought the situation to the brink of a broader escalation.

The official said all options remain open, prompting Lebanon to take every possible step to halt the escalation and return to the negotiating table. He added that Beirut is responding to U.S. pressure to resolve the dispute through diplomacy.

Meanwhile, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Al Mayadeen outlet reported overnight that Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck targets in the towns of Al-Mansouri and Burj al-Shamali in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon.

According to the report, three additional drone strikes were carried out in the Burj al-Shamali area, and emergency crews evacuated several wounded people from the scene. The report also said the IDF fired artillery shells toward the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon.

Nidaa Al-Watan also reported that Wednesday’s meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese delegations focused on selecting a third party to oversee verification of the implementation of the pilot zones, an issue that remains one of the main sticking points in the negotiations.

Israel insists on carrying out the verification itself, a proposal rejected by Lebanon, which instead suggested that the United States take on the role. Washington, however, reportedly declined.

France has offered to serve as the monitoring body, but the United States opposes the proposal due to the American administration’s lack of confidence in France, believing Paris cooperates with Hezbollah and Iran.

Spain was also considered, but Israel objected because of Madrid’s increasingly hostile stance toward the Jewish state.

According to the report, Italy has emerged as a possible compromise, given its close ties with Lebanon, Israel, and the United States, as well as the fact that Rome is hosting the negotiations.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)