Pope Leo calls for 'responsibility and reason' as Iran names two more top military leaders killed in Israel strikes
Iran state radio said on Saturday that another two generals were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday, bringing to eight the total number of senior military officers who have lost their lives.
Pope Leo XIV has called on both Israel and Iran to show a sense of responsibility in their actions as the conflict between the two countries escalates.
"The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated at such a delicate moment. I wish to forcefully renew an appeal for responsibility and reason," the pope said in a statement.
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"The commitment to build a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through a respectful meeting and sincere dialogue," he said. "No one should ever threaten the existence of the other."
Israel has said its strikes on Iran on Friday were conducted to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Critics argue the Israeli strikes were illegal under international law.
Iran top military leaders killed
Iran state radio said on Saturday that another two generals were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday, bringing to eight the total number of senior military officers who have lost their lives.
It said General Gholamreza Mehrabi, the intelligence deputy for the armed forces' general staff, and General Mehdi Rabbani, its deputy chief of operations, were both killed in Israeli bombings.
Among the other top military leaders killed, whose names were announced earlier, were armed forces chief General Mohammad Bagheri, the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, and the Guard's ballistic missile program chief, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
This is as Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of the General Staff, said that the Israeli military would start attacking "targets in Tehran," according to Israeli media.
In a meeting with the IDF's Air Force head, the two said that the "route to Iran has been paved," referring to Israel's attacks on several military targets across Iran.
"In accordance with our organised plans, the Israeli Air Force's fighter jets will start operating in attacking targets in Tehran," the two were cited as saying.
The Iranian capital was already hit by Israeli strikes on Friday morning.
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