VATICAN CITY, April 13 -- Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness to the people of Lebanon yesterday, saying there was a "moral obligation" to protect them while calling on warring parties to seek peace.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last month as Israel pursues the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, with Lebanese authorities reporting more than 2,000 people been killed in Israeli strikes.

"I am closer than ever, in these days of sorrow, fear, and unconquerable hope in God, to the beloved Lebanese people," the pope told the crowd at St Peter's Square following his Regina Coeli prayer.

"The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognised in international law, entails the moral obligation to protect ...