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.

BEIRUT - A massive Israeli airstrike that hit a residential building in a central district of Beirut early Saturday killed at least 20 people, thundered across the city and underlined fears in Lebanon that the war is escalating, days after diplomatic talks aimed at a cease-fire stirred hope of the conflict’s end.

Once-rare attacks on heart of Lebanon’s capital continue without warning while diplomats scramble to broker ceasefire

The strikes at 4 a.m. destroyed an eight-story building in central Beirut and left a crater in the ground. Also on Saturday, a drone strike killed two people and injured three in the southern port city of Tyre, according to the state-run National News Agency.

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.

Israeli airstrikes Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, officials said, as diplomats try to broker a cease-fire.

The escalation comes after U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to the region in pursuit of a deal to end months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has erupted into full-on war.

A powerful airstrike killed 15 people in central Beirut on Saturday and 13 others were killed in attacks northeast of the Lebanese capital, the health ministry said, as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.