Israeli Strike Kills 23 People North of Beirut, Lebanon Says

An Israeli strike on a village north of Beirut killed at least 23 people and wounded six others on Sunday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, amid what appeared to be a new diplomatic push for a potential cease-fire there between Israel and Hezbollah.

Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs and a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to visit Washington in the coming days and was in Russia last week for discussions regarding the possibility of a Russian role in enforcing a potential cease-fire in Lebanon, according to an official familiar with the matter.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said significant efforts were underway to reach at least a temporary cease-fire in the coming days or weeks.

Mr. Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had spoken three times in recent days with President-elect Donald J. Trump to tighten the alliance between Israel and the United States.

Many former Israeli officials and analysts have warned that the final weeks of the Biden administration could prove challenging for Israel and its ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon against Iranian-backed groups. For example, a U.S. threat that it could cut off military support to Israel if the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza does not dramatically improve could be fueling Israel’s motivation to show good-will and readiness for a truce on the Lebanon front, they say, though there is no guarantee the efforts will succeed.

Hours after the strike in Almat, in the Jbeil district on the Lebanese coast, rescue workers were still searching the rubble, the Lebanese authorities said, adding that three children were among the dead.