BEIRUT (AP) — A senior Iranian official held talks with Lebanese leaders Friday about the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah, which came as the United States continued to actively push both sides to agree on a new ceasefire agreement.

The visit of Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to the Lebanese capital was punctuated by a new Israeli airstrike on the southeastern outskirts of the city.

An image captured by an Associated Press photographer showed what appeared to be an 11-story residential building in the Tayouneh area, several kilometers (miles) from central Beirut, about to be hit by a bomb, then explode into flames.

No casualties were immediately reported, but the bomb struck a lower level of the building, reducing much of it to rubble. The Israeli military issued a warning before the attack, claiming it was a facility that belonged to Hezbollah.

The US has been trying to end the 13-month fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. war with Hamas expanded in September to southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran, and Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’s surprise attack in Israel on October 7, 2023 triggered the Gaza War.

According to Lebanese media reports, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson handed over a draft of a proposed agreement to end the Israel-Hezbollah war to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who led the talks representing Hezbollah.

A Lebanese official confirmed on Friday that Johnson had visited Berri, but declined to say whether a project had been handed over. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media about ongoing discussions.

The US Embassy declined to either confirm or deny the reports.

Meanwhile, Larijani flew from neighboring Syria on Friday, where he held similar talks a day earlier with President Bashar Assad. Syria’s state news agency said Assad and Larijani discussed “the ongoing aggression against Palestine and Lebanon and the need to stop it.”

In addition to supporting Hamas, Iran is a major backer of Hezbollah and has been funding and arming the Lebanese militant group for decades.

Following his talks with acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Larijani met with Berri for closed-door talks.

Iran’s embassy in Beirut posted on X that during Larijani’s talks with Berri, the Iranian official said Tehran supports Lebanon’s “government, army and resistance,” referring to Hezbollah. He said they discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire but gave no details.

On Thursday, the 10 elected members of the United Nations Security Council circulated a draft resolution calling for “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza as well.

The draft resolution, which was sent to the council’s five permanent members, reiterates the council’s demand “for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” captured during Hamas’ surprise attacks on southern Israel. Israel says about 100 are still being held, though not all are believed to be alive.

The US, Israel’s closest ally, holds the key to whether the Security Council passes the resolution. The other four permanent members – Russia, China, Britain and France – are expected to support it or abstain.

The draft, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, also calls for immediate access for Gaza’s civilian population to humanitarian aid and services essential to their survival.

The draft resolution would also express the council’s “deep alarm at the ongoing catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the lack of adequate medical services and food insecurity, which creates a risk of famine, particularly in the north “.

It would deplore all attacks against civilians and “good civilians” and all acts of terrorism.

The Israel-Hamas war it started after Palestinian militants entered Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping another 250.

Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. Officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict broke out, over 3,200 people were killed and more than 14,000 injured in Lebanon, the Ministry of Health reported.

Lebanon also suffered physical damage and economic losses of about $8.5 billion, according to a World Bank report on Thursday.

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Reported pickup from Bangkok. Edith Lederer contributed from the United Nations.