Israel strikes Beirut's southern suburbs as US pushes cease-fire deal
The strikes near Beirut came a day after the top US diplomat touted progress toward a deal to end the hostilities.
WASHINGTON — Israel continued its campaign of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Friday, bombarding Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in days amid a renewed US diplomatic push to end the war.
The latest escalation further dampened hopes that a cease-fire can be reached before the US presidential election on Tuesday, where the Biden administration’s handling of wars in Gaza and Lebanon has hurt Vice President Kamala Harris’ standing among progressive, Muslim and Arab voters.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, who earlier this week said he was “cautiously optimistic” about a cease-fire to end the war, said Friday that Israel’s latest attacks “do not inspire optimism” that one can be reached in the short term.
The Biden administration is projecting more confidence, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling reporters Thursday that US negotiators have made “good progress” toward a diplomatic deal that would end the hostilities.
