WASHINGTON 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed "deep concern" over increased escalation after Israel launched a ground operation early Tuesday in southern Lebanon.

“The UAE reaffirmed its unwavering position towards the unity of Lebanon, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing the country’s steadfast support for the people of Lebanon during this challenging period," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan directed the delivery of an urgent $100 million relief package to the people of Lebanon, it added.

Affirming the necessity of concerted international endeavors to halt the escalation and prevent further loss of life, the ministry highlighted the importance of providing full protection to civilians according to international law and treaties.

The statement came after the Israeli military said it had begun "limited, localized and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence" against the Lebanese Hezbollah group in villages in southern Lebanon close to the border that posed "an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,057 people and injuring over 2,950 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.