By Maya Gebeily, Maayan Lubell and Jana Choukeir BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 3 (Reuters) - Lebanon was pulled deeper into the war in the Middle East on Tuesday as the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel for a second consecutive day and Israel sent troops into the south and carried out waves of airstrikes.

The U.S. announced the names of four soldiers who were killed by an Iranian drone on Sunday. President Trump said airstrikes had killed potential new leaders of Iran, leaving it unclear who would run the country.

Israel exchanged further strikes with Iran overnight into Tuesday while it continues its assault on Lebanon, intensifying a conflict which has already killed hundreds, caused Washington to warn Americans to leave much of the region and threatens to spark a global energy crisis.

By Parisa Hafezi and Phil Stewart DUBAI/WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Iran kept up its attacks on Gulf states that host U.

As Israel intensifies its campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, Lebanon is now teetering on the brink of being fully sucked into the escalating US and Israeli war on Iran – a fate the fragile Lebanese government has been desperate to avoid.

Follow live updates and the latest news coverage as Trump and Israel strike Iran, Israeli troops operate in Lebanon, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh is hit as Tehran strikes across the Middle East.

Residents fled in panic as Israeli jets struck Hezbollah strongholds in response to a midnight barrage, an expansion of the war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.