United Nations : The United Nations Security Council is to meet in an emergency session on Sunday to consider Iran’s fusillade of drones and missiles attacking Israel, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned as an escalation of the Middle East crisis.
Within minutes of the Iranian attacks on Saturday, Israel asked Council President Vanessa Frazier of Malta to convene the meeting.
Warning that “neither the region nor the world can afford another war”, Guterres said, “I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran this evening.”
“I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” he said.
The attack was the latest in a cycle of violence wracking the Middle East.
Iran said the attack was in retaliation for Israel’s April 1 attack on its diplomatic mission in Syria which killed two of its generals.
Israel said that Iran launched about 200 missiles and drones on Saturday and most of them had been shot down and there were no major damages.
The attacks and counterattacks took place while Israel was carrying out an unprecedented military action on the occupied Gaza Strip, hitting civilians and military targets, in retaliation for an attack from there on Israel by Hamas which has ties to Iran.
There have also been skirmishes on the northern border between Israel and Hezbollah, another organisation with Tehran ties.
In a letter to Guterres and Frazier, Iran’s Permanent Representative Amir Saed Iravani said that in launching the attacks his country was invoking its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and warned of “stronger and more resolute” retaliation should Israel take further action.
But in a post on X social media, Iran’s UN mission also said, “The matter can be deemed concluded.”