The strikes, which destroyed an eight-story building and left a crater in the ground, were the fourth in Beirut in less than a week.

Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire. Lebanon’s civil defence said the death toll was provisional as emergency responders were still digging through the rubble looking for survivors.

The envoy, Amos Hochstein, was in Israel and planned to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking a truce in the country’s war with the militant group Hezbollah.

Israeli airstrikes Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, officials said, as diplomats try to broker a cease-fire.

The strikes at 4 a.m. destroyed an eight-story building in central Beirut and left a crater in the ground. Also on Saturday, a drone strike killed two people and injured three in the southern port city of Tyre, according to the state-run National News Agency.

Saturday’s attack completely demolished a multi-story building in a densely-populated neighborhood. Israel did not say who the strike’s target was.

Israeli airstrikes 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.

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

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 strikes form the backdrop for a fresh diplomatic push by the White House ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office in January.Tensions also remain high between Israel and Iran after the former launched what it called "precise strikes on military targets" in several locations in Iran following Tehran's Oct.

A powerful airstrike killed 15 people in central Beirut on Saturday and 13 others were killed in attacks northeast of the Lebanese capital, the health ministry said, as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.