Israel Strikes Near Beirut as U.S. Envoy Pushes Ahead on Cease-Fire Talks

Israel resumed its bombing campaign on Thursday in the Hezbollah-controlled area south of Beirut, as a top U.S. envoy visited Israel to talk to officials there and try to nail down the terms of a cease-fire between the two warring sides.

Amos Hochstein, the senior Biden administration official, was expected to meet on Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Omer Dostri, the prime minister’s spokesman. A day earlier, Mr. Hochstein wrapped up two days of talks with Lebanese officials and spoke of having made “additional progress” in the quest to end Israel’s yearlong conflict with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Speaking to reporters in Beirut on Wednesday, Mr. Hochstein said he would go to Israel “to try to bring this to a close if we can.”

After days of tense calm in the Lebanese capital, Israel began a wave of bombardment overnight on Thursday in the Dahiya, the densely packed area south of the city where Hezbollah holds sway. The airstrikes went on throughout the day, with the Israeli military saying it targeted command headquarters and military infrastructure belonging to the group.

Nearly 50 people were killed on Thursday amid heavy Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s east, the local governor, Bachir Khodr, said on social media.

Israel’s attacks in and around Beirut intensified in the run-up to Mr. Hochstein’s visit to Lebanon, a strategy that analysts said was intended to pressure Hezbollah into agreeing to a cease-fire on terms favorable to Israel.