Yes, in the same way an object on mercury takes more energy to reach orbit than the moon, an object falling to mercury releases more energy than it would falling to the moon.

What’s counter intuitive is what makes something a strong bond. Chemical bonds are more complex than simple gravity fields, further most chemistry involves both forming and breaking bonds. As such talking about specific bonds as strong or weak isn’t really an explanation so much as a corollary.

With reversible reactions the energy to break it or make it should be equal and opposite.