Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill at least 20

Soldiers and rescuers gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a Lebanese Army post in Amriyeh. Pic/AFP

Israeli airstrikes on Saturday in central Beirut killed at least 20 people, officials said, as the once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon's capital continued without warning while diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said 66 people were wounded in the strikes, which were the fourth in central Beirut in less than a week.

The escalation comes after US envoy Amos Hochstein travelled to the region in pursuit of a deal to end months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has erupted into full-on war.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardment in northern Israel and the fighting.

Gunman opens fire near Israeli Embassy in Jordan

Authorities in Jordan say they shot and killed a man who opened fire on a police patrol near the Israeli Embassy, leaving three officers hurt. The shooting happened early Sunday in the Rabiah neighbourhood of Amman, the Jordanian capital. "He was chased and surrounded, so he started firing gunshots at the security force, which in turn applied the rules of engagement, which resulted in the killing of the perpetrator," the police said in a statement without identifying the shooter.

‘Rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed'

Israel said on Sunday that the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found after he was killed. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel "will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death". Zvi Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who went missing on Thursday, ran a Kosher grocery store in Dubai. Israel also warned its nationals to avoid travel to the UAE

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