Israel has dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon since September, vowing to severely weaken Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets and drones at Israel since it launched its air and ground assault on Gaza over a year ago.

A United States envoy returned to Beirut on Tuesday, where Lebanese officials have tentatively welcomed a proposal for an Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire. There was no such optimism in the Gaza Strip, where the looting of nearly 100 aid trucks by armed men worsened an already severe food crisis.