President Aoun and his wife with Pope Leon XIV. Photo X/Lebanese Presidency.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun cut short his visit to the Vatican on Friday, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reviewed emergency plans with the relevant ministers and the army's chief of staff, following increased tensions in the region.
"President Aoun has shortened his visit to the Vatican, canceled his scheduled appointments, and left Rome to return to Beirut to monitor the ongoing developments," the Lebanese presidency announced on its X account.
Meanwhile, Salam monitored the fallout of the Israeli strikes against Iran with Defense Minister Michel Menassah, Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar, Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rassamny, as well as the Lebanese Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haykal.
The prime minister stressed the "necessity of taking all necessary measures to preserve [Lebanon's] stability," especially "in light of the current regional tensions," the Grand Serail stated in a message on X. Lebanese officials reviewed "the emergency plans developed by security services and the relevant ministries" to face "any repercussion, direct or indirect, on the internal situation."
The strikes, which began Thursday night and especially targeted Tehran, occurred as pressure continued to rise on Iran, suspected by Western countries and Israel of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a claim Iran has consistently denied.
On Friday, Tehran called the massive Israeli strikes on Iranian soil a "declaration of war," which could be followed by "even more brutal" attacks, warned U.S. President Donald Trump, if Iran does not reach a nuclear agreement.
This unprecedented attack fully targeted military and nuclear sites and killed Iran's top ranks, including the army's chief of staff, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, as well as the commander of its aerospace force.