Israel has carried out massive air strikes on central Beirut, Lebanese media say, and there are reports of several deaths. An eight-storey residential building was completely destroyed with five missiles in the capital's Basta district, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).

A series of air strikes hit central Beirut’s Basta neighbourhood early on Saturday, destroying at least one building and leaving a crater in the ground.Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli war planes “completely destroyed an eight-storey residential building with five missiles”.

An Israeli air strike in central Beirut killed at least four people early Saturday, bringing down a residential building and jolting residents across the city out of bed as Israel kept up its air

Footage showed the strikes hit the multi-storey building, which topped in a cloud of smoke as civilians watched the high rise turn to dust.

This strike comes hours after Israeli airstrikes killed a hospital director at his home in northeastern Lebanon and six others, while at least five paramedics were killed by Israeli strikes in the country’s south on Friday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.

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.

The Israel Air Force has been conducting strikes on terrorist targets in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh, a