The United Nations Security Council was set to meet late Sunday afternoon in New York on Iran’s overnight missile and drone attack on Israel.
“The gravity and the volume of the attacks are unprecedented and are a flagrant violation of Israel’s sovereignty, of international law, and of Security Council resolutions,” Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said in a letter he wrote to the UNSC president asking the 15-member body to convene on the matter.
“The time has come for the Security Council to take action against the Iranian threat,” he said.Iran’s mission to the UN in New York stated in a post on X early Sunday morning that its attack was an act of self-defense permissible under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
“Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus,” it wrote, as it referred to the April 1 strike that killed seven of its military officials.
Iran defends its actions against Israel
“The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” Iran stated.
It added that it took action against Israel after the UNSC failed to condemn the Damascus attack, stating that when it came to the Islamic Republic there was a “reversal of roles, equating the victim with the criminal.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a post on X, “I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel... I call for an immediate cessation of these hostilities.”
“I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation,” he said, as he urged “maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.
“I have repeatedly stressed that neither the region nor the world can afford another war,” he stated.
UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said he expected Iran would honor its word that the drone and missile launch was a solitary action and that the “matter can be deemed concluded.”
“This is a moment that calls for wise and prudent judgment, in which the risks and extended risks are very carefully considered,” Francis said. “Dialogue and diplomacy are the only way to resolve any differences through peaceful means,” he stated.