CAIRO, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Egypt on Tuesday called for an "immediate and comprehensive halt" to all Israeli military operations against Lebanon, including ground incursions and airstrikes.

Egypt condemned "in the strongest terms" the Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanon, describing it as "a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a grave breach of international law and the UN Charter," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"These escalating Israeli violations exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, increase civilian suffering, and push hundreds of thousands toward forced displacement," the statement said.

Cairo called for "the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territories," and urged the international community and the UN Security Council to take action to pressure Israel to halt the escalation.

On Monday, the Israeli army said it had begun what it described as limited and targeted ground operations against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.

The move followed an Israeli military campaign involving airstrikes targeting Beirut, its southern suburbs, and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, after Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel earlier this month amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli attacks since early March have killed 886 people in Lebanon. ■