India, May 29 -- Israel's air force carried out an airstrike on a southern suburb of the capital, Beirut, on Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military said, further straining a fragile ceasefire a day ahead of crucial negotiations in Washington.

The strike hit an apartment building but it was not immediately clear who might have been targeted. Videos from the suburb of Choueifat, close to Beirut's international airport, showed white smoke billowing from a residential neighbourhood.

Tensions have been escalating in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have crossed the Litani River over the past days and issued a warning for residents to leave much of the area.

Israel in recent days, has widened its attacks on Lebanon, some of the deadl...