UPDATE - Spain calls for cease-fire in Lebanon, urging restraint to defuse spiraling violence

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM DENMARK FOREIGN MINISTRY; REVISES DECK

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - Spain on Monday called for a cease-fire in Lebanon to avoid a further escalation of violence in the Middle East.

"Spain calls for a cease-fire in Lebanon and for everyone to restrain themselves in order to stop the escalation of violence in the Middle East," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on X, referring to his remarks at an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on Lebanon, where multiple reports say an Israeli ground assault seems imminent.

"We must protect Lebanese civilians," Albares said. "Peace is our goal."​​​​​​​

The Danish Foreign Ministry also gave details about discussions during the EU foreign ministers meeting, voicing their shared concern over the escalating military confrontation between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah.

"We must continue to call on all parties to de-escalate," the ministry said on X.

It urged: "A diplomatic solution is needed more than ever."

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.