Portugal on Monday called on the European Union (EU) to hold an emergency meeting of all the member states' foreign ministers on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado said.

"Swift political and diplomatic developments, increased military confrontations, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation justify the calling of the meeting," Amado said in a letter to Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country now holds the rotating EU presidency.

Amado said he wanted the meeting to define a clear direction for the EU to deal with the crisis.

He said Portugal wanted to see the EU "actively involved in the conflict, speaking and acting with one voice," adding that "many Europeans want to see the Union as a stabilizing factor... in international relations."

Israel's airstrikes in Lebanon have left at least 370 dead, hundreds more injured, and serious damages to Lebanon's infrastructures. Attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas have also killed at least 37 Israelis.