BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israel pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes on Friday, ⁠stepping ⁠up a war with Hezbollah that has forced hundreds of thousands ⁠of Lebanese from their homes and killed more than 200, according to a health ministry toll.

Israel's military carried out an airborne operation that ​dropped troops into a town in eastern Lebanon overnight, residents and Lebanese state media said on ‌Saturday, as heavy Israeli strikes on the area left more than a dozen people dead.

Israel’s military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops into a town in eastern Lebanon overnight, residents and Lebanese state media said on Saturday, as heavy Israeli strikes on the area left more than a dozen people dead.

Many people in Lebanon are fleeing their homes after Hezbollah launched missiles into Israel from Lebanon in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Israel retaliated

Renewed fighting and sweeping evacuation orders in Lebanon have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, with many leaving on foot with few belongings and nowhere to go.

The country is waiting to see if the government seizes on this moment to disarm the Iranian-backed armed group and how the militants will respond.

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