US President George W Bush has announced that US reconstruction aid to Lebanon will be boosted to $230m (€178m).
He called for the urgent creation and deployment of the international peacekeeping force to implement the UN peace plan for Lebanon.
'The need is urgent,' Mr Bush told a news conference at the White House.
'The international community must now designate the leadership of this new international force, give it robust rules of engagement and deploy it as quickly as possible to secure the peace,' he said.
Mr Bush said he was 'very concerned' about the possibility of a civil war in Lebanon, where the political establishment has been destabilised by the six-week attack by Israeli forces on Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government has estimated that the damage from the war will cost €2.8bn to repair.
A donors conference on humanitarian aid is to be held later this month in Stockholm and a second meeting may be held to address Lebanon's shattered infrastructure.
Arab Foreign Ministers, who met in Cairo yesterday have promised money to help Lebanon rebuild after destruction caused by the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Arab League Secretary General, Amr Moussa, said international backing for Lebanon left no room for moderation among Arab states.
However, detailed planning for reconstruction has been put off until next month.
There were also calls for Israel to lift what Arab leaders call its air, land and sea siege of Lebanon.
Italy may lead UN force
In another development, Italian sources say the Rome government is prepared to lead the proposed UN force in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had spoken to Italian PM Romano Prodi at the weekend asking Italy to undertake that role.
It follows France's apparent reluctance to commit more than 200 additional troops to Lebanon.
The Italian government has approved sending up to 3,000 troops, making it the biggest contributor so far.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, said earlier today it was 'hardly likely' that Irish troops would be part of the first wave of peacekeepers joining the expanded UN force in Lebanon.
Mr Ahern said documents setting out the draft rules of engagement were received in Ireland over the weekend and are being studied by the army and the Department of Defence.
Mr Ahern also said Ireland would be represented at a meeting of potential troop contributors in New York later this week.
