Security Council on Iran attack
Israel’s UN ambassador emphasizes right to retribution
April 15, 2024, 3:27 a.m
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After the Iranian attack, Israel requests a meeting of the UN Security Council. UN Secretary General Guterres condemns both sides and calls for maximum restraint with immediate effect. Israel’s UN ambassador makes it clear that his country has the right to retaliate.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned urgently against an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East. “Neither the region nor the world can afford further war,” said Guterres. “The Middle East is on the brink. People in the region face the real threat of a devastating, all-out conflict.” It is now time to “defuse and de-escalate” the conflict, warned Guterres, who called for “maximum restraint” from all sides.
On Sunday night, Iran directly attacked Israel from its territory for the first time in history. Tehran had described the drone and missile attacks as retaliation for an attack attributed to Israel on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, in which two generals of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed, among others, on April 1. According to Israeli data, almost all of the 300 drones and missiles fired by Iran were repelled.
Guterres also condemns attack in Damascus
Israel requested the meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. In his speech, Guterres once again condemned the Iranian attacks on Israel and also the attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. “It is time to step back from the brink,” Guterres said. “It is important to avoid any action that could lead to major military conflicts on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
Iranian UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the Islamic Republic had exercised its right to self-defense: “These actions were necessary and proportionate.” Israel’s representative Gilad Erdan countered that Iran had “crossed every red line” and that his country now had the right to retaliate. “We are not a frog in boiling water. We are a land of lions. After such a massive and direct attack on Israel, the whole world – and Israel most of all – cannot remain passive. We will defend our future,” said Erdan.
Other ambassadors, including representatives of France, Britain and the United States, also condemned the Iranian attack. “The Security Council has an obligation not to let these actions by Iran go unanswered,” said US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood.