UNITED NATIONS, September 26. /TASS/. Russia calls for putting an immediate end to escalating the situation in the Middle East lest things spiral out of control in the region, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said as he addressed a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

"The developments in the region show once again that solutions to resolve devastating crises, including in Lebanon, can only be found through dialogue," the senior Russian diplomat said. "The spiral of violence should be stopped immediately to keep the situation from veering out of control. We call for putting an immediate end to hostilities which would prevent more bloodshed and create conditions to put the settlement process back on political and diplomatic tracks," he added.

Vershinin also cautioned against "reckless rhetoric" as he referred to a recent remark by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant who warned that the Israelis are capable of sending Lebanon back to the Stone Age. "We are confident that in an extremely tense atmosphere it is especially important to show maximum restraint and avoid provocations that seek to add more fire to the conflict," he concluded.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated further after a wave of wireless communication devices explosions rocked Lebanon on September 17 and 18. The Lebanese group blamed the blasts on Israel. While the Jewish state has not yet commented on the developments, it announced intensifying its military operation in the North before Israel delivered extensive air strikes on southern Lebanon and also attacked Beirut. Later, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the Jewish state was expanding its attacks on Hezbollah military targets, rocket storage facilities and commanders across Lebanon. The Lebanese death toll from Israeli attacks has climbed to over 550, with more than 1,800 people being wounded, the Arab republic’s Health Ministry said.