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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that any further Israeli operations in Lebanon must be avoided, as world leaders urged opposition to a ground invasion.

“The guns must now be silenced, and the voice of diplomacy must speak and be heard by all,” Borrell said after emergency talks between EU foreign ministers.

“The sovereignty of Israel and Lebanon must be guaranteed, and any further military intervention will significantly worsen the situation and must be avoided.”

International powers are scrambling to prevent the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah from escalating into a wider war after the assassination of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The 27-nation European Union has so far struggled to speak with one voice – or exert much influence – to curb the violence that has rocked the region over the past year.

Israel warned on Monday that it could send troops to fight Hezbollah, saying the battle was not over despite Nasrallah’s assassination on Friday.

US President Joe Biden and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have opposed any ground invasion of Israel’s northern neighbor.

Borrell said the EU was ready to increase its support for the Lebanese armed forces and could help support any efforts by UN peacekeeping forces to try to calm the situation.

Earlier this month, Israel launched a wave of deadly airstrikes against Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon and bombed Nasrallah in Beirut on Friday.

The head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, said “more than 200,000 people are internally displaced in Lebanon”, while more than 100,000 have fled to neighboring Syria.

Israel is increasingly turning to Hezbollah after almost a year of devastating campaign in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7 last year.

Hezbollah, a close ally of Hamas, intensified its barrage on northern Israel following the Hamas attack, displacing tens of thousands of people.

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