US Middle East mediator Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut early Tuesday in an effort to finalize a ceasefire agreement that would end the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah, a government source said and state media reported.

An Israeli airstrike killed five people in central Beirut on Monday, Lebanon's health ministry said, the second day in a row Israel has hit a target within the capital as it presses its campaign against Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

The recent attacks are seen as part of Israel’s strategy to force Hezbollah and Lebanon to agree to a ceasefire, and an indication that it is prepared to expand its offensive by killing non-military members of the group and striking places outside areas where the movement has a strong presence, possibly to stir anti-Hezbollah sentiment.