Moscow urged Israel to "immediately" pull its troops out of southern Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli military began what it said were "ground raids" against Hezbollah militants in the area.Israel announced the incursion after a week of intense air strikes on Lebanon that left hundreds dead and sparked international condemnation.
In a major blow,Israel also killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.Russia's Foreign Ministry said it "condemned" the attacks on Lebanon and called on the Israeli authorities to "immediately cease hostilities, withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a real search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict.""We express our solidarity with the leadership and people of friendly Lebanon, which has been subjected to armed aggression," the ministry added.Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Israeli's attack on southern Lebanon risked destabilizing the entire region.Hezbollah later on Tuesday denied Israel's claims that its ground troops had crossed the border into Lebanon as they launched their offensive.AFP contributed reporting.