Iranian leader visits Lebanon amid Israeli attacks

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the bomb hit a lower level of the building, reducing much of it to rubble. The Israeli military had issued a warning ahead of the attack, claiming it was a facility belonging to Hezbollah.

The US has sought to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which emerged when the 13-month war with Hamas spread into southern and eastern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut in September.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran, and Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 ignited the war in Gaza.

According to Lebanese media reports, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson handed over a draft of a proposed deal to end the Israeli-Hezbollah war to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who led the talks representing Hezbollah.

A Lebanese official confirmed Friday that Johnson visited Berri, but declined to say whether a draft had been handed over. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media about the ongoing talks.

The US embassy declined to confirm or deny the reports.

Meanwhile, Larijani flew from neighboring Syria on Friday, where he held similar talks with President Bashar Assad a day earlier. Syria’s state news agency said Assad and Larijani discussed the “ongoing aggression against Palestine and Lebanon and the need to stop it.”

In addition to supporting Hamas, Iran is one of Hezbollah’s top backers and has been financing and arming the Lebanese militant group for decades.

After his talks with interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Larijani met Berri for closed-door discussions.

The Iranian embassy in Beirut posted on It said they discussed efforts being made to broker a ceasefire, but did not elaborate.

On Thursday, the ten elected members of the United Nations Security Council circulated a draft resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza as well.

The draft resolution, which was sent to the council’s five permanent members, reiterates the council’s demand “for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” seized during Hamas’s surprise attacks on southern Israel. Israel says around 100 are still being held, although not all are believed to be alive.

The US, Israel’s closest ally, holds the key to whether the Security Council will adopt the resolution. The four other permanent members – Russia, China, Britain and France – are expected to support or abstain from the proposal.

The draft, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, also calls for immediate access for Gaza’s civilian population to humanitarian aid and services essential to their survival.

The draft resolution would also express the council’s “deep concern about the ongoing catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the lack of adequate health care services and the state of food insecurity that poses a risk of famine, particularly in the north.”

It would deplore all attacks on civilians and “civilian objects” and all acts of terrorism.

The war between Israel and Hamas began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping 250 others.

Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. Officials do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but say more than half of the dead are women and children.

Hezbollah began shooting at Israel on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the outbreak of the conflict, more than 3,200 people have been killed and more than 14,000 injured in Lebanon, the Ministry of Health reports.

Lebanon also suffered some $8.5 billion in physical damage and economic losses, according to a World Bank report Thursday.

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Riot reported from Bangkok. Edith Lederer contributed from the United Nations.