UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has urged Israel and Hezbollah to reach an “immediate ceasefire” following a “worrying escalation”, AFP reports.

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”.

The 27-nation European Union 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.