BEIRUT: Israeli strikes battered southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut on Friday (Nov 22), killing at least five medics, as ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south. Israel has pushed on with its intense military campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, tempering hopes that efforts by a US envoy could lead to an imminent ceasefire. US mediator Amos Hochstein said earlier this week in Beirut that a truce was "within our grasp". He travelled on