Pope Francis on Wednesday urged the international community to do everything possible to stop the escalation in Lebanon.

''It is unacceptable", the pontiff said during his weekly audience in St.Peter's Square. "I express my closeness to the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much in the recent past'', he added.

The Israeli military has been carrying out its heaviest air strikes of the conflict this week, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of targets deep inside Lebanon.

World leaders at UN warn against 'full-scale war' over Lebanon

Since Monday morning, the Israeli offensive has killed 569 people, including 50 children, and wounded 1,835 in Lebanon, Health Minister Firass Abiad, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.

Is all-out war inevitable? The view from Israel and Lebanon

Half a million people are estimated to have been displaced in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said.

In Beirut, thousands of people who fled from southern Lebanon were sheltering in schools and other buildings.

Hundreds of Pinoys in Lebanon take back repatriation request despite violence

(Production: Gabriele Pileri, Oriana Boselli)