U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to keep working to end the Gaza and Lebanon wars in his time remaining before handing over to President-elect Donald Trump, the State Department said Thursday.

"We will continue to pursue an end to the war in Gaza, an end to the war in Lebanon, a surge of humanitarian assistance (to Gaza), and that is our duty to pursue those policies right up until noon on January 20 when the president-elect takes office," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Dozens of Lebanese were laid to rest Thursday following an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in the town of Barja, just north of the port city of Sidon.

The Lebanese Civil Defense said they pulled at least 30 bodies and remains following late Tuesday's strike.

More than 100 Lebanese lawmakers issued an appeal on Thursday to the United Nations, demanding the preservation of heritage sites in areas heavily bombed by Israel during its war with Hezbollah.

"During the devastating war on Lebanon, Israel has caused grave human rights violations and atrocities," said a letter addressed to UNESCO's chief, demanding "the protection of Lebanon's historic sites in Baalbek, Tyre, Sidon, and other invaluable landmarks currently at risk due to the escalation of the atrocities."

There is an “understanding” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that they “will work to end the wars” in the Middle East, a person familiar with Israel’s thinking told the Financial Times.

Israel is drawing up plans to expand its ground offensive in southern Lebanon alongside the diplomatic efforts, Israel’s top general said, as its warplanes intensified their air campaign against targets in Lebanon.

Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli army, said that “alongside the political attempt to reach understandings in Lebanon,” the Israeli army “must continue to formulate plans to continue the fighting in Lebanon, including expanding and deepening the ground maneuver.”

Lebanon's health ministry said three people were killed Thursday in an Israeli strike that targeted a car at the main entrance to the southern city of Sidon.

"The Israeli enemy's raid on a car in Sidon resulted in the deaths of three people," the ministry said in a statement.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will “fulfill the promises” that he had made in the letter that he had recently addressed to Lebanese-American voters, Trump’s Arab affairs adviser Massad Boulos said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Thursday in Jerusalem he saw prospects for ending Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon after Donald Trump was elected U.S. president.

"I believe a window has opened for putting an end to the tragedy in which Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region have been immersed since October 7" last year, Barrot told reporters alongside outgoing Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, citing Trump's "wish to see the end of the Middle East's endless wars" as well as Israel's recent "tactical successes".

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein is expected to return to Lebanon within a week to “continue the initiative he had proposed to Speaker Nabih Berri,” which aims to “find a diplomatic solution between Lebanon and Israel,” informed sources said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says its alliance of militant groups opposed to Israel remains strong despite the killing of many of their senior leaders.

“God willing, the world will see a day when the Zionist regime will be defeated by them,” Iranian state TV reported the leader as saying Thursday.