US envoy arrives in Beirut, raising hopes for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal
CNN
Follow for live news updates on Israel’s tensions with Iran, the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and other developments in the Middle East.
• US envoy Amos Hochstein held meetings in Beirut meeting with Lebanese officials on Tuesday. His trip is seen as a sign of progress in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah, but does not mean a deal is imminent. • An Israeli attack has killed at least five people in central Beirut. The strike, which hit just hundreds of meters from the prime minister’s office and parliament, was the third to hit the heart of the Lebanese capital in two days. • In northern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike has killed over a dozen members of a single family. The 17 killed were family members of a cardiologist who was working at a hospital when the strike hit. Among those killed was the doctor’s newborn niece, whom he had delivered. • The US has imposed sanctions on Israel’s largest settlement development organization. President-elect Donald Trump is unlikely to take any punitive actions against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Israel, has voiced support for Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory. Live coverage of the conflicts in the Middle East has ended for the day. You can read more here. The United States has warned Turkey against hosting Hamas leaders, saying there “can be no more business as usual” with the Palestinian militant group.
