Thursday Briefing: The U.S. Pushes for a Cease-Fire in Lebanon

The U.S. is working to broker a short-term cease-fire to halt the violence between Israel and Hezbollah, an American official said yesterday, in the hope of averting a wider war in the region.

The diplomatic push comes after the Israeli military said it shot down a Hezbollah missile fired at Tel Aviv, the first time that the group took direct aim at the city. Israel’s military also told its soldiers to prepare for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon as it continued its barrage of attacks on the country yesterday. At least 51 people were killed and 223 others wounded in airstrikes, the Lebanese health minister said.

The immediate goal is to reduce the risk of a wider conflict that would destabilize the region. But American officials also hope that finding a way to de-escalate the threat of war with Hezbollah could put pressure on Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader, to agree to a deal that would end nearly a year of fighting in Gaza and lead to the release of the remaining hostages captured during the group’s Oct. 7 attacks.

West Bank: Videos from Tulkarm and Jenin show bulldozers destroying infrastructure and businesses, as well as soldiers impeding local emergency responders.