By Raghed Waked and Maya Gebeily

AIN SAADEH, Lebanon April 6 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike on an apartment east of Beirut late on Sunday killed a local official from a Christian political party, sharpening internal divides over Hezbollah as Israel's strikes expand to new parts of the country.

The war raging in Lebanon over the past month has deepened fractures between supporters of Hezbollah and those who blame the Iran-backed group for igniting a new conflict with Israel just 15 months after the last one.

MOSCOW, April 6 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Monday said that the Iran war was escalating in both geography and economic impact, and that the whole Middle East region was "on fire" due to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in an expletive-laden Easter Sunday social media post, threatened to target Iran's power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.

April 6 (Reuters) - Four people were killed in the Israeli port city of Haifa after what Israeli media said was an Iranian missile strike that hit a residential building late on Sunday.

The bodies of the four people were recovered from beneath the rubble following hours of intensive search-and-rescue operations, the Israeli military said on Monday.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

MADRID, April 6 (Reuters) - Spain's ruling Socialist Party has gained voter support amid Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's staunch opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, while far-right Vox, which supports the offensive, has seen a decline, two surveys published on Monday showed.

Sanchez has emerged as one of the most vocal Western leaders criticising what he calls an illegal and reckless war, closing Spanish airspace to U.S. planes involved in the strikes and banning them from using jointly operated military bases in southern Spain.

DUBAI, April 6 (Reuters) - Iran has formulated its positions and demands in response to recent ceasefire proposals conveyed via intermediaries, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, adding that negotiations were "incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes."

Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had a set of requirements based on its national interests that had already been conveyed via intermediary channels, adding that earlier U.S. demands such as the 15-point plan were rejected for being "excessive."

DUBAI, April 6 (Reuters) - Inaction by the UN nuclear watchdog "emboldens aggression" against nuclear facilities such as the Bushehr power plant, Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said on Monday in a letter addressed to the International Atomic Energy Agency's director.

Eslami said Iran's only functioning nuclear power plant had so far been targeted four times, with the most recent attack in its vicinity on April 4 killing a security staff member and injuring others.

An Israeli airstrike on Monday hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Israel's army said it was targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, as Lebanon reported more attacks in the country's south.

AFPTV footage showed smoke billowing across the skyline after the strike on the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold which has largely emptied of residents following repeated Israeli attacks and evacuation warnings.

Israel's army said it was "striking Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut", after previously warning it would hit the area.

April 6 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States have received a plan to end hostilities that could come into effect on Monday and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a source aware of the proposals said on Monday.

A framework to end hostilities has been put together by Pakistan and exchanged with Iran and the U.S. overnight, the source said, outlining a two-tier approach with an immediate ceasefire followed by a comprehensive agreement.

By Samia Nakhoul and Maha El Dahan

Dubai, April 6 (Reuters) - UAE official Anwar Gargash said any settlement of the U.S.-Iran war must guarantee access through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that a deal that fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme and its missiles and drones would pave the way for “a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East."

SEOUL, April 6 (Reuters) - North Korea appears to be distancing itself from longtime partner Iran and carefully managing its public messaging to preserve the possibility of a new relationship with the U.S. after the Iran war, South Korean lawmakers said on Monday, citing the spy agency.