U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said Tuesday that Washington was seeking to avoid "a greater war" following an escalation in cross-border fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military along Lebanon's southern frontier in recent weeks.

Hochstein described the situation along the border as "serious" and said that was why U.S. President Joe Biden had dispatched him to Lebanon. Hochstein was in Lebanon for one day of meetings following a brief trip to Israel.