Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on Saturday for pressure on Israel to stop its direct targeting of southern towns and villages in his country.

This came during a phone call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in which they discussed the latest security developments in southern Lebanon and the need to intensify efforts to stop the cycle of violence, according to the official Lebanese agency.

Mikati stressed "the need to pressure the Israeli enemy to stop its direct targeting of southern towns and villages, which leads to martyrs, wounded and severe destruction."

He expressed his "fear that the current cycle of violence could lead to an escalation with dire consequences," according to the agency.

In turn, the British Foreign Secretary confirmed that he "will intensify his diplomatic contacts to stop the escalation and prevent things from getting out of hand on a wider scale," according to the Lebanese agency.

Earlier on Saturday, the agency said, "Last night, the Israeli occupation committed a horrific massacre in an airstrike on Wadi al-Kafour in the Nabatieh region in the south of the country, killing 10 people, including a woman and her two children, in addition to 5 wounded."