Israel strikes on Lebanon kill 40 people around Baalbek

“When the enemy decides to stop the aggression, there is a path for negotiations that we have clearly defined — indirect negotiations through the Lebanese state and speaker (of parliament Nabih) Berri,” Qassem said.

U.S. diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which included a 60-day ceasefire proposal, faltered last week ahead of the U.S. election on Tuesday in which former President Donald Trump recaptured the White House.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the last year, the vast majority in the past six weeks.

Lebanese rescuers scoured a destroyed apartment building in the town of Barja, south of Beirut, for bodies or survivors after an Israeli strike on Tuesday evening killed 20 people there, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

Moussa Zahran, who lived on one of the upper floors of the building, returned to sift through the ruins of his home. His burned feet were wrapped in gauze and his son and wife were in hospital after being wounded in the strike.

“These rocks that you see here weigh 100 kilos; they fell on a 13-kilo kid,” he said, referring to his son and the apartment wall that collapsed on him during the strike.

It was not clear whether the strike targeted a member of Hezbollah. There was no evacuation warning ahead of the air raid.