ST PETERSBURG, Russia - The European Union called on Saturday for all sides in the latest explosion of violence in the Middle East to try to stop it worsening.

"All parties must show restraint in order to avoid further escalation," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, who holds the EU's rotating presidency, said at a G8 summit in St Petersburg.

Vanhanen was speaking as Israel battered Lebanon for a fourth straight day to punish it for letting Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hizbollah fighters menace its northern border. Israeli air strikes killed at least 27 civilians on Saturday.

"We understand the rights of Israel to protect itself, of course, we understand that there were provocations against Israel, but we believe the use of force by Israel was disproportionate," EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.