US wants to see Israel 'scale back' strikes on Beirut

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that Washington wants to see Israel "scale back" some of its strikes in and around the Lebanese capital.

"The number of civilian casualties have been far too high," Austin told reporters at a G7 defence gathering in Naples, Italy.

"We’d like to see Israel scale back on some of the strikes it’s taking, especially in and around Beirut, and we’d like to see things transition to some sort of negotiation that will allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes."

Earlier on Saturday, Israel forces carried out heavy strikes on several locations in Beirut's southern suburbs.