Syria and Russia on Thursday urged for a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel continued a massive assault against the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah on a ninth day.

The call was made by Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Shara and visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandre Saltanov during a meeting here, Syria's official SANA news agency reported.

Shara also underscored Russia's role in reminding the international community to shoulder its responsibility to "curb the Israeli war machine", said the report.

Saltanov, on his part, expressed Russia's will in reaching a ceasefire as a first step to solve the current crisis in Lebanon.

The Russian envoy also held a separate meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday, during which the two sides reviewed the international stances and diplomatic efforts exerted by Russia to reach a ceasefire and put an end to the violence.

The two sides also stressed the necessity to continue coordination and consultation between the two countries over the situation in Lebanon.

Violence between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah erupted after the Lebanese Shiite militant group captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border attack on July 12.

Source: Xinhua