U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that in just a week the alarming situation in Lebanon has gone from bad “to much, much worse.”

Mr Guterres warned that “the raging fires on the Middle East are fast becoming an inferno” and that Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.

He said, “It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff” adding that “We cannot look away from the systematic violations of international humanitarian law occurring across the region.”

The emergency meeting was held today to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East.

On Tuesday Iran fired missiles into Israel, in response to the killing of Hezbollah’s leader and his top commanders in Lebanon.

It also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader in Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran in a suspected Israeli attack in July, and says the move was in full accordance with its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since vowed to retaliate against Iran.

The Associated Press says Israeli troops are battling Hezbollah militants inside Lebanon after launching what they say are limited ground operations there.

The Israeli military has reported the deaths of eight soldiers in combat – the first inside Lebanon since the invasion began.

Lebanese officials say more than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks during Israeli bombardment of different parts of the country.