By Abdelaziz Boumzar, Emilie Madi, Jana Choukeir and Alexander Cornwell BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 11 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike hit an apartment block in central Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanese authorities said,

As Israeli strikes rained down, the number of people registered as displaced rose by 100,000 on Monday and Tuesday, according to figures released by the government.

The Lebanese parliament has extended its term by two years due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which has pushed the region into an escalating conflict, and Israel stepped up its attacks on Lebanon.

By Ahmad Al Kerdi and Alexander Cornwell BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 9 (Reuters) - Escalating hostilities have forced nearly 700,000 people to flee their homes in Lebanon, a U.N. agency said on Monday, as the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah entered a second week.

The release of 400 million barrels by members of the International Energy Agency is designed to "address disruptions in oil markets stemming from the war in the Middle East".

Nearly 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon after Israel’s bombing campaign against Hezbollah, the United Nations has said.

It has been just over a week since the new escalation in conflict started on 2 March, when Israeli evacuation warnings to residents of more than 53 villages and densely populated areas in Lebanon and intensified airstrikes forced families across Lebanon to flee within minutes.

The Israeli military says it's responding to strikes from Iran-backed Hezbollah, and warns residents in Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate.

Pope Leo called Father Pierre El-Rahi “a true shepherd who always remained beside his people with the love and sacrifice of Jesus."