Pope laments death of children in Iran war, pledges closeness to Lebanon

VATICAN CITY, March 11 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Wednesday lamented the death of numerous civilians in the Iran war and also expressed closeness to people in Lebanon, saying the country, targeted by Israeli strikes, was going through a "great trial."

Leo, who has appealed several times for an end to the expanding conflict and warned that the violence could spiral out of control, called on pilgrims in his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square to pray for peace.

"Let us continue to pray for peace in Iran, and throughout the Middle East, especially for the many civilian victims, including many innocent children," said the pontiff, as the war continued into its 12th day.

He made no mention of any specific incident involving children.

A girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on February 28 during the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.

The U.S. military is investigating the incident.

Leo also lamented the death of a priest who was killed on Monday in strikes on southern Lebanon, where Israel is attacking the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has fired into Israel from Lebanon in solidarity with the government in Iran.

The pope said Rev. Pierre El Rahi was a "true shepherd" who was killed while trying to offer aid to parishioners who had been injured in a strike.

Leo visited Lebanon in December as part of his first overseas trip as pope.