CAIRO, July 22 - French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called on Saturday for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas, saying their conflict risked destroying the Lebanese state.

 "We must note the severity of the situation ... and call for humanitarian corridors, call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and find all the conditions for a ceasefire," Douste-Blazy told a news conference in the Egyptian capital.

"If not, it will be the destruction of the Lebanese state."

Israel's army, which has been building up forces at the border and has called up 3,000 reservists, said it would pursue its war on Hizbollah with military incursions into south Lebanon but would not unleash a fullscale invasion for now.

The 11-day-old Israeli bombardment of Lebanon has killed 345 people, mostly civilians. Hizbollah rocket attacks have killed 15 Israeli civilians in the same period.

"We believe the spiral of violence will not lead to anything durable. Only political dialogue can lead to a durable solution," said Douste-Blazy, speaking after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.

France is at odds with Washington, which is resisting international pressure for an immediate ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said before a trip to the region that the conflict's root causes -- in her view Hizbollah's armed presence on Israel's border and the role of its Iranian and Syrian allies -- had to be tackled first.

France, which has close ties to Lebanon, its former colony, has called the Israeli bombardment a "disproportionate" reaction to the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah guerrillas but has also called for Hizbollah to be disarmed.

France has also urged the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire underpinned by political and security steps, and urged the creation of "humanitarian corridors" in Lebanon to allow civilians to be evacuated safely.