Pope Francis was en route from Belgium to the Vatican when he was asked about the assassination of Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah by the IDF. He was asked if “Israel has perhaps gone too far with Lebanon and Gaza.”

Without explicitly mentioning Israel, the pontiff said that the  “defense must always be proportionate to the attack.” He described the killing of the terrorist leader as “immoral” and “disproportionate.”

“When there is something disproportionate, there is a dominating tendency that goes beyond morality,” Pope Francis said. “A country that does these things — and I’m talking about any country — in a superlative way, these are immoral actions.”

“Even in war there is a morality to safeguard,” he said. “War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality.”

“When there is something disproportionate, a domineering tendency that goes beyond morality is evident,” the pope said. “A country that, with its forces, does these things—I’m talking about any country—that does these things in such a ‘superlative’ way, these are immoral actions.”

The “New Order” operation targeting Nasrallah destroyed the military headquarters that was built underground beneath residential buildings. Before the airstrike, the IDF called on Lebanese civilians to evacuate from several buildings in the area. 

Twenty other Hezbollah operatives, including several top commanders including the commander of Hezbollah’s terrorist activities in Southern Lebanon, Ali Karaki, were also killed in the airstrike.

Last week, the pope was critical of Israel’s war against Hezbollah, calling IDF airstrikes a “terrible escalation,” describing airstrikes targeting Hezbollah military sites as  “unacceptable,” and calling on the international community to do everything possible to stop the war. 

The pope has not commented on the more than 9,000 rockets fired at Israeli cities by Hezbollah.

Pope Francis has a history of being myopic regarding Palestinians and Arabs bent on destroying the Jewish state. In 2015, just a few days after the Vatican officially recognized the Palestinian state, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was granted an audience in the Apostolic Palace. After the meeting, Francis gave Abbas a special medallion, which he said represented the angel of peace “destroying the bad spirit of war.”The Pope explained to Abbas that he felt the gift was appropriate since “you are an angel of peace.”