Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday there was “no point” in continuing peace talks with the United States after its ally Israel attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“The Zionists’ aggression against Dahieh once again showed that the United States either lacks the will to implement its commitments or lacks the ability to do so,” Ghalibaf said on social media following Israeli strikes on the Dahieh neighbourhood of Beirut.

“If you do not have the will or the ability to fulfil your commitments, then there is no point in talking about continuing down this path,” he added, against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to finalise a peace deal between the warring parties.

Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday for the second time in a week in response to what it said was Hezbollah fire at northern Israel, while its military also carried out broader strikes on southern Lebanon.

The latest escalation came despite expectations that a deal between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war could be imminent, as Tehran insists a ceasefire in Lebanon must be part of any deal.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) said a strike hit a flat in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.