In a statement after crisis talks with Middle East leaders including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on the pro-Iran Hezbollah to "cease all actions against Israel," asserting the country's "right to self-defence."

But she went on to call out Israel for "heavy-handed" retaliation that was "causing mass displacement" and "further destabilising a fragile situation".

"Israel should cease its operations in Lebanon," she said, warning that it "risks drawing Lebanon and its people into a war that is not theirs, with severe humanitarian consequences."

"Diplomacy and a return to the ceasefire offer the best chance of averting Lebanon from sliding into chaos," Kallas said.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Hezbollah militia attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel, which had kept up attacks against Hezbollah despite the 2024 ceasefire, retaliated with multiple strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into border areas.

Aoun earlier Monday accused Hezbollah of working towards the "collapse" of the state, expressing Beirut's readiness for "direct negotiations" with Israel.