Israeli airstrikes Saturday in central Beirut killed at least 20 people, officials said, as the once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon's capital continued without warning while diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire.

The strikes, which destroyed an eight-story building and left a crater in the ground, were the fourth in Beirut in less than a week.

Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as diplomats scrambled to broker a cease-fire. Lebanon’s civil defence said the death toll was provisional as emergency responders were still digging through the rubble looking for survivors.