BEIRUT — A senior Iranian official spoke with Lebanese leaders on Friday about the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. This meeting took place at a time when the United States continues to actively push both sides for a new ceasefire agreement.

The visit of Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, to the Lebanese capital was punctuated by a renewed Israeli air strike on the southeastern edge of the city.

An image taken by an Associated Press photographer showed an 11-story residential building in the Tayouneh district, a few kilometers (miles) from central Beirut, about to be hit by a bomb and then burst into flames.

There was no loss of life in the incident, but the bomb hit the lower floor of the building, turning most of it into a pile of rubble. The Israeli army had warned before the attack, claiming that the facility belonged to Hezbollah.

The United States is trying to mediate an end to the 13-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. war with Hamas In September, it expanded into southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut.

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

According to reports in the Lebanese media, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson delivered the proposed draft agreement to end the Israel-Hezbollah war to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is leading the talks on behalf of Hezbollah.

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

The US Embassy declined to confirm or deny the reports.

Larijani, meanwhile, flew in on Friday from neighboring Syria, where he had held similar talks with President Bashar al-Assad the day before. The Syrian state news agency said Assad and Larijani discussed “the ongoing attack on Palestine and Lebanon and the need to stop it.”

In addition to backing Hamas, Iran is also one of the main backers of Hezbollah and has been financing and arming the Lebanese militant group for decades.

After meeting with incumbent Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Larijani held closed-door talks with Berri.

Iran’s embassy in Beirut reported that during Larijani’s meeting with Berri on He said they discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire but did not go into detail.

On Thursday, 10 elected members of the United Nations Security Council issued a draft resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza as well.

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

Israel’s closest ally, the United States, holds the key to whether the Security Council will accept the resolution. The other four permanent members (Russia, China, Britain and France) are expected to either support it or abstain.

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, also calls for civilians in Gaza to have immediate access to humanitarian aid and services necessary for their survival.

The draft resolution would also express the council’s “deep alarm at the ongoing catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the lack of adequate health services and food insecurity, which risks famine, especially in the north.”

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

Israel-Hamas war It started after Palestinian militants attacked Israel The killing of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on October 7, 2023, and kidnapped 250 more people.

Palestinian health officials say Israel’s military intervention in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people. Authorities do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than half of those killed were women and children.

Hezbollah began firing on Israel on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict began More than 3,200 people were killed There are more than 14,000 injured people in Lebanon, the Ministry of Health reported.

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

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The rises were reported from Bangkok. Edith Lederer contributed from the United Nations.