Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair was facing a full-scale cabinet rebellion Saturday night over the Middle East crisis after his former Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, warned that Israel's actions risked destabilizing the Lebanese government and fuelling further terrorism in the Middle East, according to the Observer reports on Sunday.

Straw, now leader of the Commons, said in a statement released after meeting Muslim residents of his Blackburn constituency that while he grieved for the innocent Israelis killed, he also mourned the "10 times as many innocent Lebanese men, women and children killed by Israeli fire", the paper reported.

He said he agreed with the Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells that it was "very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics used by Israel", adding "These are not surgical strikes but have instead caused death and misery amongst innocent civilians".

He was worried that "a continuation of such tactics by Israel could destabilize the already fragile Lebanese nation" and fuel further terrorism in the Middle East, he said.

Straw is leading a growing Cabinet revolt against Blair's handling of the Middle East crisis.

At a cabinet meeting before Blair left for last Friday's Washington summit with U.S. President George Bush, ministers pressed him to break with the Americans and publicly criticize Israel over the scale of death and destruction, the Observer reported.

Source: Xinhua