An Israeli airstrike killed at least 20 people in central Beirut on Saturday, Lebanon's health ministry said, one of the deadliest strikes on the heart of the capital since Israel began its assault against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in September.

Israeli airstrikes Saturday in central Beirut killed at least 15 people, officials said, as the once-rare strikes in the heart of Lebanon's capital continued without Israeli warning, and as diplomats scrambled to broker a ceasefire.

Israel was targeting a senior Hezbollah commander, but failed to kill him, one Israeli official said. Hezbollah officials said none of the group’s leaders were at the attack site.