Pope Urges Immediate Halt to Violence Swirling in the Middle East

International Community Also Concerned About Possible Escalation in the Middle East Region

Pope Francis has called for the immediate cessation of Iran's retaliatory airstrikes against Israel.

According to AFP and other news agencies, after Sunday Mass on the 14th, the Pope addressed the crowd gathered at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, saying, "I urgently appeal to stop all actions that cause a 'vortex of violence' that risks dragging the Middle East into a greater conflict."

The Pope emphasized, "War has done enough, and so have acts of aggression and violence. (Now) we must affirm dialogue and peace."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Pope has repeatedly called for peaceful resolutions to conflicts in the Middle East, including the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

Meanwhile, on the 13th (local time), Iran launched a sudden airstrike against Israel, firing hundreds of armed drones and missiles. This late-night airstrike over the weekend marks Iran's first full-scale attack on Israeli mainland. It comes 12 days after Israel bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, eliminating a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on the 1st. Israel has promised a strong response to Iran's first attack on its mainland.

As the possibility of this retaliatory airstrike escalating the conflict in the Middle East grows, the international community has expressed concern.

United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres strongly condemned Iran's attack and urged restraint from both Iran and Israel. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement saying, "I strongly condemn the reckless attack by the Iranian regime on Israel," adding, "Such attacks risk escalating tensions and destabilizing the region."