In response, Israeli fighter jets struck a military site and Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the areas of Hanniyeh, Jibchit, Baisariyeh, and Mansouri

IDF artillery also struck in the area of Yaroun to remove a threat

Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the goal of US administration is to achieve a deal to reach a humanitarian pause and the release of hostages as soon as possible, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday (local time)

Addressing a press briefing, Miller said that US has made a significant progress towards an agreement last week, when US officials engaged in the region. He noted that US administration will continue to pursue further progress this week

Asked about President Joe Biden's remarks about goal for a ceasefire amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Miller said, "So, our goal is to achieve a deal to reach a humanitarian pause and the release of hostages as soon as possible. Certainly, we'd welcome getting one by this weekend. What I can say about the overall progress is that we made significant progress towards an agreement last week when we had officials from the United States Government engaging in the region. We continue to pursue further progress this week"

"American officials across the government continue to be engaged on this question. We are trying to push this deal over the finish line. We do think it's possible. But as you've heard me say before, ultimately some of this comes down to Hamas and whether Hamas is willing to agree to a deal that would provide significant benefits to the Palestinian people that they claim to represent," Miller said

On February 27, Biden said that he hopes there will be a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict by "next Monday." Speaking at a press gaggle in New York, the US President said that we are close to it but it's not done yet

"Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean, the end of the weekend," Biden said after being asked when a ceasefire might start. "My national security adviser tells me that we're close. We're close, it's not done yet. And my hope is that by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire," Biden said

Further asked about the possibility of achieving the ceasefire by the end of ceasefire, Miller refused to divulge details regarding the negotiations in public. However, he noted that US officials will continue to hold discussions with their counterparts from Israel and governments of Qatar and Egypt