Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill 11 as Lebanon cease-fire efforts appear to gain steam

Israeli strikes killed at least 11 people across Lebanon on Friday — including a mother, father and their three kids in a home — as rescue workers called off their search for survivors a day after an Israeli strike on a civil defense center killed 14 emergency workers and volunteers. The U.N. humanitarian agency voiced concern over the escalating toll of Israeli airstrikes in densely populated areas of Lebanon, calling the daily casualties and displacement “deplorable.” In three waves of renewed strikes on Friday, the Israeli military hit more buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, setting off explosions in the area known as Dahiyeh. Iranian official says Tehran backs Lebanese government and its people BEIRUT — A visiting Iranian official said after meeting top Lebanese officials Friday that Tehran “stands by Lebanon’s government and people” and that it backs any decision taken by the Lebanese government and the militant Hezbollah group. Larijani denied reports that Iran has abandoned Hezbollah, dismissing such claims by saying: “You take jokes seriously.” He added that Iran “will back the resistance under all circumstances.” Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, said he urged Iran Friday to help his government implement a U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Human Rights Watch in a report issued in late October said that it had documented three incidents that it described as “apparent war crimes” in which Israeli forces struck medica “medical personnel, transports, and facilities.” At that time, it said that Israeli strikes had killed at least 163 health and rescue workers across Lebanon and damaged 158 ambulances and 55 hospitals during a year of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.