Israel pounded south Lebanon with deadly strikes and widened its offensive with the first raid near Beirut in weeks where authorities said a woman and two children were killed despite a ceasefire.The attack near the capital came after heavy strikes on south Lebanon that authorities said had killed at least 14 people, including three children.The escalation comes as Lebanon and Israel prepare for talks between military delegations at the Pentagon on Friday, and for US-brokered talks early next week -- the fourth round since the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict erupted.A Lebanese military source said an apartment in the Choueifat area south of Beirut was hit, in the second such raid since the truce in the war between Israel and militant group Hezbollah came into effect on April 17, after war broke out in early March.Israel's military said it "precisely struck in Beirut", without identifying the target.Lebanon's health ministry said the strike killed three people "including a woman and her baby daughter, and a child of Syrian nationality" and wounded 15 other people, including three children and five women.AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the area on the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.An AFP correspondent said the first two floors of a residential building were damaged, and saw residents packing cars and leaving.- 'Deeply concerned' -A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah that was supposed to have taken effect on April 17 but has never been observed.Both sides accuse each other of violating it and justify their attacks by the other's alleged truce breaches.Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc on Thursday urged Lebanese authorities to withdraw from the direct negotiations with Israel, accusing Israel of "seeking to impose security coordination to benefit its aggression" in the military talks.The Iran-backed group on Thursday claimed around 20 attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon.Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, expressed concern and called on both sides to respect the ceasefire. The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon said that "Wednesday saw around 670 projectiles fired -- the highest level since 17 April".