Israel unleashes heavy strikes on Lebanon as US, UK urge restraint

Smoke and fire rise from the site of an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Mahmoudiyeh on September 19, 2024. The Israeli military announced new strikes in Lebanon on September 19, in which it said it had hit some 30 Hezbollah rocket launchers along with other "infrastructure". (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters): Israeli warplanes carried out late on Thursday their most intense strikes on southern Lebanon in nearly a year of war, heightening the conflict between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah amid calls for restraint.

The White House said a diplomatic solution was achievable and urgent, and Britain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The United States is "afraid and concerned about potential escalation," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing.