Pope Leo XIV has prayed that the “roar of bombs” in the Middle East will cease, as the war triggered by US-Israeli air strikes on Iran extended into its ninth day, AFP reports.

News from the region “continues to arouse deep dismay”, the US-born pope said at the end of the Angelus prayer.

“Added to the episodes of violence and devastation and the widespread climate of hatred and fear, is the fear that the conflict will spread, and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may once again sink into instability,” he said.

Leo said he prayed “that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open in which the voices of the peoples may be heard”.