Israel’s bombing campaign in the Dahiya area south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has complicated U.S. diplomacy to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Since late September, Israel dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple Hezbollah and end its barrages in Israel. More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire — 80 per cent of them in the past month — Lebanon's Health Ministry says.

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.