The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has described the Israeli action in Lebanon as "harsh and disproportionate" and called on all parties in the region to stop the violence.
Mr Ahern also accused Israel of failing to protect civilian life in its reaction to the Hizbullah attacks.
"Israel has a legitimate right to defend its citizens, but this must not be at the expense of the lives and welfare of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians," he said.
"All military operations must be carried out in strict accordance with international law. And all parties must act on their responsibility to protect civilian lives. It has to be said that Israel is clearly failing to do so."
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern
The Minister called on the different factions to restart negotiations. "There will be no military solution to the immediate crisis, or to its underlying causes," he said. "The only way forward for the people of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and their neighbours is an end to the violence and a return to political negotiations."
"We are getting to the stage this situation could be a Third World War if the international community does not respond and the main players do not back away."
Mr Ahern condemned the Hizbullah attacks on Israel as "cynically calculated" to escalate the conflict, and urged nations such as Syria and Iran to influence the group to put an end to the attacks.
He also voiced his support for the EU and UN's efforts to bring an end to the conflict.
"We are supporting fully the active engagement of the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and the efforts of the EU High Representative, Javier Solana, to exercise the EU's influence in favour of an urgent return to politics and diplomacy," he said.
"The UN Security Council will consider the situation in Lebanon in the coming days, based on the report of the Secretary General's mission to the region. They will consider, among other options, the possibility of a new international force for Southern Lebanon," he said.
Earlier today, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs agreed a motion condemning the use of violence for political ends, and called for an immediate halt to the violence in the region.
Foreign citizens are currently leaving the troubled region.
A group of Irish citizens have already been evacuated from Lebanon, and a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a second group of 45 people is also being evacuated. Twenty-five of the group are located in Beirut while 20 are outside the city.