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A member of the Lebanese security forces inspects the damage around a building that was targeted by an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese town of Wadi Jilo, east of Tyre, on Thursday. Regular cross-border clashes between Israeli forces and Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah movement, which have forced mass evacuations on both sides, have intensified in recent days, causing more deaths and igniting wildfires. | AFP photo

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres called on Thursday for an end to hostilities along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, warning of the risk of a broader conflict.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the northern border area after eight months of war with Hamas that has devastated Gaza, warned Wednesday that Israel was 鈥榩repared for a very intense operation鈥� along the border.


Daily exchanges of artillery fire between Hezbollah and Israel have intensified in recent days as Israel wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Both groups are backed by Iran and allies of each other.

鈥楢s the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line continue, the secretary-general renews his calls to the parties to urgently cease fire,鈥� UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, referring to the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.

鈥楾hese exchanges of fire could trigger a broader conflict with devastating consequences for the region,鈥� he added.