UN Secretary General António Guterres has said he is "deeply concerned” after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement mounted their biggest round of cross-border strikes since the war in Gaza began.
On Sunday, Israeli jets hit dozens of sites across southern Lebanon in what it said were pre-emptive strikes to prevent a much wider attack, and Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel.
Guterres warned that their actions put civilians at risk, as well as threatening regional security and stability.
The US said it was working to avoid a further escalation in hostilities, and both sides suggested they were not interested in one. There have been almost daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the day after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on 7 October.
Hezbollah has said it is acting in support of the Palestinian group. Both are backed by Iran and proscribed as terrorist organisations by Israel, the UK and other countries.
Since October, more than 560 people have been reported killed by Lebanon’s health ministry, the vast majority of them Hezbollah fighters, while 26 civilians and 24 soldiers have been killed in Israel, according to authorities. Almost 200,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the border.
The UN secretary general called for "immediate de-escalation and on the parties to urgently and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities”, a spokesperson said.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan expressed hope that Sunday’s events would not lead to an all-our regional war.
"We have worked round the clock with partners and allies, moving military assets, engaging in intensive diplomacy both publicly and privately behind the scenes to avert that outcome,” he told reporters during a visit to Halifax, Canada. (Agencies)