WASHINGTON, Aug 10: The White House has urged both Israel and Hezbollah to stop escalating their war, even as Israel voted to expand its ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

US officials fear that if the situation worsens, it could push their Arab allies to take a harder stance against Israel.

“We want an end to violence and we do not want escalations,” White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. The US, he said, was working hard to bridge differences over a cease-fire resolution at the UN.

Though Mr Snow’s remarks appeared to be directed at Israel, given the timing, the White House spokesman said this was a ‘message to all sides.’

“The escalation is something that we do not want to see,” Mr Snow said, but added that any resolution to end the violence would have to address the ‘root cause of Hezbollah.’

Before the White House publicly expressed its indignation over the escalation in violence, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and discussed the Lebanese situation, officials said.

On Thursday, reports in the US media indicated that Israel wants to cut off a piece of Lebanon to create a security zone that would prevent Hezbollah fighters from reaching the Israeli border. Israel plans to reach the Litani River in Lebanon, penetrating up to 30km deep into the country, in hope to curtail four fold the intensity of the rocket attacks of Hezbollah, the reports added.

The plan has already been approved by Israel’s security cabinet during which Secretary Rice telephoned the Israeli prime minister.