Israel, Hezbollah trade blows despite ceasefire talks

US mediator says ceasefire 'within grasp' in Beirut visit, will try to secure it with Israel

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Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah traded deadly blows on Nov 21 as their war raged on despite signs of progress in US ceasefire efforts, with air strikes pounding Beirut's southern suburbs and rockets flying into northern Israel.

US mediator Amos Hochstein was in Israel for talks with Israeli officials to try to secure a ceasefire, which he said was "within our grasp" during a visit to Beirut earlier this week.

The diplomacy marks the most serious attempt yet to end the conflict between Israel and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, part of the regional spillover of the Gaza war.

In southern Lebanon, an Israeli air strike killed three people in the village of Chaaitiyeh, some 10km from the border, the Lebanese health ministry said.

In Israel, a 30-year-old man was killed when shrapnel from a rocket struck a playground in the northern town of Nahariya, Israel's MDA medical service said.