Israel has stepped up strikes on the city’s southern suburbs in recent days, an area Israeli officials say hosts Hezbollah militants and infrastructure.

By Riham Alkousaa and Ari Rabinovitch BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Diplomacy aimed at securing a ceasefire in Lebanon showed tentative signs of progress on Thursday as Israel pounded its northern neighbour including heavy airstrikes on the stronghold of armed group Hezbollah near Beirut.

An Israeli minister indicated that a ceasefire was closer than at any point since the war began, though he said a sticking point was ensuring Israel retains freedom to act inside Lebanon should any deal be violated.

Israel’s military ground operation in southern Lebanon has been expanded, the country’s defense minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.

That's Stuart Livingstone Wallace So, Stuart, what does this expansion of the ground war in Lebanon signal about the potential for a cease fire? We've been talking about this for quite some time. We have.