Lebanons capital city is returning to a cycle of violence and destruction just as it was beginning to stabilize after years of chaos.

The strikes, which destroyed an eight-story building and left a crater in the ground, were the fourth in Beirut in less than a week.

The once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon’s capital continued while diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire.

BEIRUT >> A powerful airstrike killed 15 people in central Beirut today and 13 others were killed in attacks northeast of the Lebanese capital, the health ministry said, as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Several missiles flattened an eight-story building in Lebanon's capital early Saturday morning.

The escalation in Beirut comes after a U.S. envoy traveled to the region in pursuit of a ceasefire deal to end months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people.

Israeli airstrikes Saturday in central Beirut killed at least 15 people, officials said, as the once-rare strikes in the heart of Lebanon's capital continued without Israeli warning, and as diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire.

The strikes, which destroyed an eight-story building and left a crater in the ground, were the fourth in Beirut in less than a week.

A powerful Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in central Beirut early Saturday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 63 others

A powerful Israeli air strike flattened a residential building in central Beirut early Saturday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 63 others, according to witnesses and the Health Ministry's initial count.

A powerful Israeli air strike flattened a residential building in central Beirut early Saturday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 63 others, according to witnesses and the Health Ministry's initial count.

The strikes were the fourth on Beirut in less than a week. The escalation comes after a U.S. envoy traveled to the region this week in an attempt to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) Israeli airstrikes Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire. Lebanon’s civil defense said the death toll was provisional as emergency responders were still digging through the rubble looking for survivors. The strikes were the fourth on the Lebanese capital in less than a week...

At least four people have been killed in the attack on the Basta neighbourhood, according to the Health Ministry.

Footage showed the strikes hit the multi-storey building, which topped in a cloud of smoke as civilians watched the high rise turn to dust.

Israel Friday continued widespread bombing attacks in southern and eastern Lebanon in a series of air strikes near Beirut and Tyre, killing at least 47 and wounding 22 in the Baalbek district northeast of Beirut.

Five healthcare workers killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, Ministry of Public Health says.

The citys southern suburbs have been hit repeatedly in recent months