Israel and Hezbollah urged to step back from brink of catastrophe

World powers on Sunday implored Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement to refrain from escalating their conflict as the Gaza war threatened to spill over across the Middle East.

Hezbollah and Israeli forces have traded regular cross-border fire since Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

But fears of an all-out regional war soared this week as both sides intensified the fighting, with Israeli strikes killing dozens in Lebanon, including top Hezbollah commanders.

 United Nations  

UN chief Antonio Guterres told broadcaster CNN that he feared "the possibility of transforming Lebanon (into) another Gaza".

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned on X that the Middle East was close to "an imminent catastrophe" and that no side would be safer through military means.

Guterres also said neither Israel nor Hamas were interested in achieving a ceasefire to end their devastating war in Gaza that has raged for almost a year.

"That is a tragedy, because this is a war that must stop," Guterres said.

 United States  

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said escalating the conflict was not in key US ally Israel's "best interest".

The United States was saying this "directly to our Israeli counterparts" and believes "there can be time and space for a diplomatic solution here and that's what we're working on", he told ABC.

 European Union  

The 27-nation bloc is "extremely concerned" about the escalating violence and is calling for an "urgent" ceasefire, its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

A full-blown war "must be averted, including by renewed intense diplomatic mediation efforts", he added.

 Britain 

Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Israel and Hezbollah to reach an "immediate ceasefire" following a "worrying escalation".

Addressing his Labour party's annual conference, Lammy said a ceasefire would facilitate "a political settlement, so that Israelis and Lebanese civilians can return to their homes and live in peace and security".