Israeli officials are insisting on maintaining a capacity to strike Lebanon at any moment as part of conditions to secure a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has deepened in recent days despite diplomatic efforts to move toward a temporary truce.

At least eight people were killed and 14 others wounded when an Israeli strike hit an apartment in the area of Akkar in northern Lebanon on Monday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The airstrike hit an apartment in the village of Ain Yaqoub in Akkar,