Israel expands south Lebanon push; truce plans still in limbo

BEIRUT - Israeli ground forces are expanding their six-week-old sweep of villages in southern Lebanon, triggering new clashes with Hezbollah militants, while US-initiated ceasefire plans remain in limbo.

An Israeli official, who requested anonymity, said the army has started moving into a second line of Lebanese communities beyond an initial operational zone approximately 3km in depth.

An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman said its troops were "operating in new places" but at "the same sort of range or distance".

The advance came alongside air strikes against more than 30 Hezbollah sites in the Lebanese capital Beirut over the past two days, the IDF said, attracting some criticism from the United States.

"We do not want to see these kinds of consistent operations in Beirut, especially as it relates to densely populated areas," US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said during a regular briefing on Nov 15. "This is something we are going to continue to stress with our partners in Israel."