US Vice President Kamala Harris defends US security assistance to Israel, but also says the Biden administration will not halt its pressure on Jerusalem for an end to the fighting.

Israel has intensified its bombardment in Lebanon, targeting areas it says are home to Hezbollah commanders and military equipment.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Washington will continue to pressure Israel and other players in the Middle East to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza

Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world's attention from Gaza, where Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week, and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into a war that has shattered the enclave.

Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel almost exactly a year ago, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage, and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.