Solution (source code)

= Solution

Let $\widehat\Omega^{(k)}$ solve the $k$th diagonal-block problem and set
$$
\widetilde\Omega=
\begin{bmatrix}\widehat\Omega^{(1)}&0\\0&\widehat\Omega^{(2)}\end{bmatrix}.
$$
Its inverse is block diagonal. On each diagonal block, the <Graphical-Lasso Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions> hold by the definition of $\widehat\Omega^{(k)}$. On the off-diagonal blocks choose
$$
Z^{(12)}=-S^{(12)}/\lambda,
\qquad Z^{(21)}=-S^{(21)}/\lambda.
$$
The assumed inequalities $|S_{ij}|\leq\lambda$ ensure that every entry lies in $[-1,1]$, exactly the allowed <subgradient> at a zero entry of $\widetilde\Omega$.

Thus $-\widetilde\Omega^{-1}+S+\lambda Z=0$ on every block. The KKT conditions and the fact that the objective is <strictly convex> prove that $\widetilde\Omega=\widehat\Omega$, giving the claimed block decomposition.