“An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs,” Dujarric said in a statement, adding that Guterres spoke with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati earlier on Tuesday, telling him the UN was ready to help those in need.
“The Secretary-General will continue his contacts, and his representatives on the ground will also continue their efforts to de-escalate the situation,” Dujarric said.
US President Joe Biden called for a ceasefire in Lebanon on Monday but a US official said Israeli troop deployments suggested a ground incursion against Hezbollah militants could be imminent.
Asked about reports that Israeli ground troops were preparing to move into southern Lebanon, Biden told reporters that he was "comfortable with them (Israel) stopping."
Several top aides reinforced Biden's call for a ceasefire by urging a diplomatic resolution to the violence to allow tens of thousands of displaced Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes along the border.
Washington "will continue to work with our partners in the region and around the world to advance a diplomatic resolution," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a State Department conference.
But a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the positioning of Israeli troops as observed by the United States suggested a ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent.
The official declined to comment further or to provide details on the posture of Israeli forces.
The US call for de-escalation follows two weeks of Israeli airstrikes and assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, including the Iran-backed group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday.
Israeli officials say they will do what is necessary to return some 70,000 citizens evacuated from northern Israeli communities after Hezbollah on Oct. 8 began rocket strikes in support of a Hamas assault on Israel from Gaza the previous day.
Speaking to troops deployed along Israel's northern border, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at a looming ground incursion.
"We will use all the means that may be required – your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land. Good luck," Gallant said.
The Biden administration fears the killing of Nasrallah and further Israeli military action could ignite a wider regional conflict.
The US envoy to the United Nations urged continued diplomacy to halt the violence in Lebanon and Gaza.
"We want to find a path to peace, so that Palestinians and Israelis have safety and Lebanese and Israelis living on the northern border find security and safety as well," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned about Israel’s military activity in Lebanon and a strike on the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Israel said intense fighting had erupted with the Hezbollah movement in south Lebanon on Tuesday after its paratroops and commandos launched raids there, at the start of a ground incursion that followed airstrikes against Hezbollah’s leadership.
Turkiye also condemned Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon as an “unlawful invasion attempt” and called for the withdrawal of its troops.
“This attack must end as soon as possible and Israeli soldiers must withdraw from Lebanese territory,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli army said its troops were locked in fierce clashes in Lebanon after launching a ground offensive Tuesday, escalating the conflict after a week of air strikes that killed hundreds.
The ground assault came as Israel targeted south Beirut, Damascus and Gaza, despite international calls for restraint to avoid a regional conflagration.
“Israel’s violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country by launching a ground attack on Lebanon is an unlawful invasion attempt,” the foreign ministry said.
Ankara warned that is likely to trigger a new wave of migrants.
“As a result of this dangerous invasion attempt, it is highly likely that a new wave of migration will emerge and extremists will gain ground all over the world,” the ministry said.
It urged the UN Security Council to “comply with international law and take the necessary measures.”
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also said that Israel should cease conducting ground raids in southern Lebanon to avoid an escalation of the conflict enveloping the wider region.
“We insist that the ground incursion should be halted, as we’re receiving very worrying information,” Albares said, adding that it was “necessary to reach a truce in Lebanon and a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Albares also condemned Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israeli territory. He said the only way to achieve peace in the Middle East was if belligerents complied with international humanitarian law and respected the protections accorded to civilians.
Since February 2022, Spain has commanded the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and deployed 650 troops along the southern Lebanese border with Israel.
