Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a hotbed of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, intensified on Monday afternoon, as a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and the militants appeared to be close at hand.

The latest clashes follow months of intensifying fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with Hezbollah firing rockets and other projectiles into Israel after the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are both allied with Iran.

The proposal under discussion to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River.