Since Israel began bombarding Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon's national air carrier has become a local icon simply by continuing to do its job.

Middle East Airlines is the only commercial airline still operating out of the Beirut airport, located on the coast next to the densely populated suburbs.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Arab counterparts in London on Friday on the Gaza and Lebanon wars, the State Department said.

Blinken will meet Arab foreign ministers in the British capital after talks Thursday in Qatar, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters as Blinken flew from Israel to Saudi Arabia.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Baerbock, upon her arrival Wednesday in Beirut, said that “we must now work with our partners in the USA, Europe and the Arab world to find a viable diplomatic solution that safeguards the legitimate security interests of both Israel and Lebanon.”

Jordan’s Foreign Minister announced late Tuesday that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will postpone his visit to Jordan, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi spoke to Blinken by phone Tuesday and stressed the importance of a regional cease-fire and putting an end to Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Nearly 16 hours after an Israeli airstrike hit across the street from Beirut's main public hospital, rescuers were still removing debris Tuesday from the overcrowded slum area. An excavator was digging at one of the destroyed buildings, picking out twisted metal and bricks in search for bodies.

Residents standing on mounds of debris said an entire family remained missing under the rubble.

German airline Lufthansa said Wednesday it was extending the suspension of flights to Beirut until the end of February amid intensifying fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lufthansa flights to Beirut had already been suspended until November 30. It also said on Wednesday it would extend the suspension of services to the Iranian capital Tehran to the end of January. They had previously been halted until October 31.

Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air.

The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings prior to the strikes.

Air raid sirens echoed across Tel Aviv on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to end a visit.

Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying.

At least three Israeli strikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs Tuesday evening, following calls to evacuate, hours after a strike flattened a building in Tayouneh.

Two of the strikes hit the Laylake district, near a stadium.

Two separate Israeli strikes on Tuesday evening killed at least 10 people in the country's south and northeast as Israel pummels targets in its fight against Hezbollah.

In two separate statements, the ministry said five people were killed and 10 others wounded in the northeastern Hermel region near the Syrian border, and five more killed and 21 wounded in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, which has endured Israeli attacks for days.