The strikes hit new neighborhoods in the capital, signaling the widening scope of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, even as U.S. officials hailed diplomatic efforts.

At least 18 people were killed, including four children, and 60 were wounded in an Israeli strike on Monday near Beirut's main government hospital, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Israeli jets hit a Hezbollah target close to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut but did not target the hospital and it was not affected by the strike,