At least six people were killed and 24 others wounded early on Wednesday when Israeli strikes hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs, the Lebanese health ministry said. A loud explosion

Hezbollah fired 200 missiles and drones into Israel in what Israeli media called an integrated attack with Iran, prompting fierce Israeli Defense Forces strikes.

With airstrikes rocking Beirut and Israeli troops advancing against Hezbollah, Lebanon’s government has broken a taboo by proposing the first direct talks with Israel in decades. But Lebanese officials say they want the fighting to end first — and it might be too late for that.

Israel has carried out air strikes in central Beirut for the first time since the latest conflict began, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

It’s very challenging, it’s very uncertain, but we took a decision to keep our airspace open since day one of the war,” Lebanon's transport minister told NBC News.

Israel says it has killed another top Iranian official, which would be the third in two days. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran's intelligence minister had been killed overnight.