Iran calls emergency UN meet as Israel threatens to continue offensive
Iran calls emergency UN meet as Israel threatens to continue offensive
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting later today, after a request by Iran amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. Israel launched a barrage of strikes on multiple sites in Iran, including its nuclear facilities, and later said it intercepted over 100 drones launched from Iran. According to Iran’s Nournews, 78 people were killed, and 329 people were killed in Israeli strikes on residential areas in Tehran.
Not just nuclear sites, Israel said it struck missile factories and killed a swathe of military commanders in Iran. The leader of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, was confirmed dead, according to Iranian state television.
Even as Iran said it reserves the right to defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Israel has said it will continue its onslaught until all threats from Iran are eliminated.
Here are top developments in the Iran-Israel conflict:
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the United States knew about the strikes in Tehran “ahead of time”. He also warned “several waves of Iranian attacks” are expected, reported news agency AFP.
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US President Donald Trump has said that Israel’s attacks on Iran are “great for the market”. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the President described the Israeli operation as “a very successful attack, to put it mildly.”
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Donald Trump earlier said that Iran should make a deal, warning all hardliners are dead now “and it will only get worse”. He said that the US makes the most lethal weapons in the world and several of them are with Israel. He later told NBC that Iranian representatives were calling him to suggest they still want a deal.
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Citing Article 51 of the UN Charter that covers the right of states to self-defence against armed attack, Iran urged an emergency UNSC meeting, a request supported by Russia and China, news agency AFP reported. However, Israel’s UN envoy has said that the country would continue to act until all “threats in Iran” are eliminated. The council will meet later today.
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The fresh conflict between the two countries has also led to flight diversions and cancellations as airlines quit the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan after Israeli strikes.
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The US has warned of missiles, drones or rockets flying over Iraq in a security warning that said Iraq has suspended air traffic at all airports and closed its airspace.
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According to Iran’s Nournews, 78 people were killed, and 329 people were killed in Israeli strikes on residential areas in Tehran. Iran has promised a harsh response to the overnight onslaught.
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A United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia has been postponed amid the Israel-Iran conflict, news agency Reuters reported. The conference was aimed at forging a roadmap towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
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India earlier said it is “deeply concerned” over the recent developments between Iran and Israel and was “closely monitoring” the evolving situation. The government urged both countries to avoid any escalatory steps.
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