'Sharp' end to conflict in Lebanon possible, Israeli military leader says

The United States does not want a protracted Israeli campaign in Lebanon, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, as efforts got underway to hold fresh talks over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.

A month into Israel's military onslaught against the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, Blinken said he hoped Iran was getting a clear message that any further attacks on Israel risked its own interests, with the region awaiting the retaliation Israel has vowed for an Iranian missile barrage on Oct. 1.

Israel's military chief said an end to the conflict with Hezbollah looked possible but gave few details.Several Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday evening, Reuters witnesses said.

Blinken, who held talks with Qatar's prime minister, has been on his first trip to the region since Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the group's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered conflict across the Middle East. Washington, Israel's close ally, has expressed hope his death can provide an impetus for an end to the fighting.

Israel unleashed its Lebanon offensive with the declared aim of securing the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from homes in northern Israel during a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah.

Ongoing strikes within Lebanon

Israel has used airstrikes to pound southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, and sent ground forces into areas near the border. Lebanese authorities say the campaign has killed more than 2,500 people and displaced more than 1 million people, spawning a humanitarian crisis.

"As Israel conducts operations to remove the threat to Israel and its people along the border with Lebanon, we have been very clear that this cannot lead, should not lead, to a protracted campaign," Blinken said, speaking in Doha.

Blinken said the United States was working on a diplomatic deal which would allow civilians on both sides on the border to return to their homes.

Later, the head of Israel's military said an end to the conflict with Hezbollah now looked possible.

"In the north (of Israel), there's a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion. We thoroughly dismantled Hezbollah's senior chain of command," Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a video statement.

Blinken also said Israel should take steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UNpeacekeepers or Lebanese army troops.

WATCH l IDF spokesperson says 1701 resolution not being enforced:

IDF officer says UN troops in Lebanon failing to keep Hezbollah in check

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Lt.-Col Jordan Hertzberg of the Israel Defence Forces said in an interview with CBC's Briar Stewart that Israeli forces had found Hezbollah fortifications, missiles and shells 'under the nose' of UN peacekeepers based near the Lebanon-Israel border whose mandate is to support the Lebanese army in securing the border region.

Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli strike killed three Lebanese troops as they tried to evacuatewounded people from the border village of Yater, the Lebanese army said. There was no commentfrom the Israeli military.

The Lebanese army's deployment into the south, where Hezbollah holds sway, is seen as vital to any diplomatic resolution to the war..

French conference raises hundreds of millions

In Paris, a conference convened by France raised $200 million US for the Lebanese military and $800 million US in humanitarian aid.

"There needs to be a ceasefire in Lebanon. More damage, more victims, more strikes will not enable the end of terrorism or ensure security for everyone," French President Emmanuel Macron said. He said the conference would support the recruitment of 6,000 Lebanese troops and provide the army with key supplies.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said a ceasefire was in Israel's hands. "The storm we are currently witnessing...carries the seeds of total destruction, not only for our country, but for all human values," he said.

France has historical ties with Lebanon and has been working with Washington in trying to secure a ceasefire.

Paris is also seeking to help restore Lebanon's sovereignty and strengthen its institutions. Lebanon, where Hezbollah effectively operates as a state within a state, has been without a president for two years while political factions fail to agree on a new one.

Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly and Stphane Dion, Ottawa's ambassador in France, led the Canadian delegation at the conference.

Canada has previously announced aid packages for Lebanese civilians that according to International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Oct. 10, have amounted to $25 million Cdn.

Deadly strike on vehicle

Israeli attacks on Thursday included a strike on a vehicle on a highway from Beirut to the Bekaa Valley one of Lebanon's busiest roads. A security source said one person was killed.

The Israeli military said around 120 projectiles fired by Hezbollah had crossed into Israel.

WATCH l Israeli strikes in Beirut and surrounding area continued Thursday:

Israeli strike on south Beirut leaves buildings in ruin

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Buildings in the Laylaki neighbourhood in Beiruts southern suburbs were heavily damaged in overnight Israeli strikes.

In northern Israel, air raid sirens sounded in Nahariya.Explosions could be heard as air defences fired to intercept rockets.

The Alma Research and Education Center, an Israeli think-tank, said 29 civilians have been killed in Israel so far as a result of Hezbollah attacks over the last year.

At least 25 Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon since the start of the ground operation three weeks ago.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that five more soldiers were killed and seven wounded there during combat.

Hezbollah declared solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on Israel last year, which killed 1,200 people including several Canadian citizens, Israel says. The rampage also saw 250 people abducted, according to Israeli government tallies, with about 100 yet to be repatriated.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza led to heavy losses, displacement of people and destruction in the territory. More than 42,847 Palestinians have been killed and 100,544 injured in Israel's military offensive, the Gaza health ministry said on Thursday. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but has said thousands of women and children have been killed.