ANKARA: Switzerland is deeply concerned about the escalating violence in the Middle East, the country said on Sunday. 'We urge all parties to prioritize dialogue and refrain from further escalatory action,' the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on X. Switzerland also urged the concerned parties to engage in cease-fire negotiations for Gaza. At least three people were killed and two others injured on Sunday morning after a series of intense Israeli airstrikes targeted various areas in southern Lebanon, health officials said. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli warplanes launched over 40 airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the most severe attack since cross-border attacks between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah began last October. The Israeli army claimed that the attacks aimed to prevent a rocket barrage by Hezbollah. The Lebanese group, for its part, said that it had launched hundreds of rockets and missiles deep into Israel as the 'first phase' of its response to last month's assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut. Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah has been engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border, resulting in hundreds of casualties, mostly on the Lebanese side. The escalation comes against the backdrop of an intense Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 40,300 Palestinians since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7. The military campaign has reduced much of the territory to rubble and left most of the people homeless, hungry, and prone to disease. Source: Anadolu Agency