The United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon has condemned Israel's ground offensive in southern Lebanon launched earlier on Tuesday, saying it violates the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity.

António Guterres said it was time to stop what he called the 'deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence' in the Middle East.

In a statement, Guterres criticized "escalation after escalation" in the area and said, "This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire."