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

Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president, called for direct talks with Israel to end the fighting. He also leveled blame at Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, for igniting the war.

President Aoun outlines a path towards "permanent security and stability", as Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah continue.

Israel carried out a commando raid in eastern Lebanon to search for clues about a navigator who went missing 40 years ago.

In just one week, Israel's U.S.-backed campaign has displaced 700,000 people, killed more than 10 children per day and left no diplomatic off-ramp in sight.

In a remarkable statement Monday afternoon, Lebanon called for direct talks with Israel on “permanent arrangements for security and stability on our borders,” while accusing the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah of betraying the country.

By Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam and Maayan Lubell BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 7 (Reuters) - Israel warned Lebanon of a "disastrous" fallout if it did not rein in Iran-backed Hezbollah on Saturday, as it pounded the group's strongholds around the country with air strikes and mounted a deadly airborne raid in the east.

Israel is renewing its assault on southern Lebanon, including targeting commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force in Beirut