“There are serious obstacles to reaching a ceasefire or even to diminishing the violence quickly,’’ Annan said.

The fighting had triggered a humanitarian crisis, he added. The UN estimated that about a half-million have been displaced in Lebanon, with 130,000 fleeing to Syria and about 45,000 believed to be in need of assistance.

Russia joined France in demanding a ceasefire on Thursday. ‘‘We are calling, as a first step, for the immediate declaration of a ceasefire,’’ Russia’s Kommersant newspaper quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

An Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera quoted Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora today as saying in an interview that Hizbollah had created a ‘‘state within a state,’’ adding: ‘‘The entire world must help us disarm Hizbollah. But first we need to reach a cease-fire.’’

Saniora later issued a statement denying the remarks. He said he told the paper that the international community must help press Israel withdraw from Chebaa Farms, a small border area that Lebanon claims and Hizbollah uses to justify armed resistance.