Lebanon's foreign minister has warned that the number of people displaced from their homes in the country's south is likely approaching "half a million" after Israel ramped up its aerial assault on the region in strikes that have killed more than 550 people, according to local health officials.

But even as he did so, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was in Beirut, appearing eager to convey Iran’s readiness to support a joint cease-fire in Lebanon and in Gaza. The contrasting diplomacy and defiance spotlighted Iran’s efforts to assert its regional power while limiting damage to its land and people.