A senior EU official warned that Israel and Lebanon "have almost reached all-out war.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, says Israel's escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon is close to "all-out war."

Speaking ahead of a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, Borrell warned that the Israel-Lebanon conflict could engulf the entire Middle East in war.

Borrell pointed to mounting civilian casualties and increased military strikes. "The situation is extremely dangerous and worrying. I would say we are almost in an all-out war."

"If this isn't war, I don't know how else to describe the situation."

Borrell said efforts to ease Israeli-Lebanese tensions were continuing, but Europe's worst fears of spillover from the conflict were becoming a reality.

He said civilians had paid a high price and "it is time for us in New York to act." Everyone must do everything they can to prevent an all-out war."

Meanwhile, Borrell said that G7 foreign ministers will meet on the same day to discuss the issue of providing Ukraine with long-range missiles that can strike deep into Russian territory.

Borrell also said that despite repeated denials from Iran, Russia is apparently receiving new weapons, including Iranian missiles.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Hagari said on the evening of the 23rd that the Israeli army launched large-scale airstrikes against "Hezbollah targets in Lebanon" in the past 24 hours, hitting more than 1,300 "Hezbollah targets." The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health issued a statement on the same night, saying that the continuous Israeli air strikes on many parts of Lebanon that day had killed 492 people and wounded 1,645.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on the 23rd that he was deeply alarmed by the large number of casualties caused by the escalation of tensions near the "Blue Line" border between Israel and Lebanon and called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation and every effort to find a diplomatic solution.