Fu Cong, China’s Ambassador to the UN, has stated that his country is “deeply concerned” about the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and warned that “an all-out war is on the verge of breaking out.”
He stated that China shares the position of the United Nations that any Israeli crossing into Lebanon violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon as he urged countries against further “inflammatory” statements or actions.
“We urge all parties, in particular Israel, to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that could lead to further escalation of the situation,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel and said that more sanctions against the country are coming.
“Thankfully, and through close coordination between the United States and Israel, Iran failed to achieve its objectives,” she told the UN.
She added, “This outcome does not diminish the fact that this attack, intended to cause significant death and destruction, marked a significant escalation by Iran.”
The US Ambassador said that Iran’s attack was not “defensive.”
“The IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran] was not protecting Iran from threats from another member state.
“Instead, the IRGC was acting in solidarity with Hezbollah after the killing of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah, who led a terrorist group that has the blood of thousands of Americans, Lebanese, and Israelis on its hands.”
Linda Thomas-Greenfield
“It is indefensible, and it is unacceptable,” she stated, adding and members of the Security Council have a collective responsibility to impose additional sanctions on the IRGC for supporting terrorism and for flouting so many agreements.
Thomas-Greenfield warned Iran at the UN Security Council against targeting it or Israel.
“Let me be clear: The Iranian regime will be held responsible for its actions. And we strongly warn against Iran – or its proxies – taking actions against the United States, or further actions against Israel.”
Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, also stated that Iran will “pay a heavy price” for its missile attack.
“This was a deliberate attempt to strike at the very heart of our society,” he told the UN Security Council.
Danon said that Israel faces constant attacks and criticised calls by UN members for restraint.
“The world watched silently as Iran funded and directed attacks against us for the past year. The silence, the routine calls for de-escalation only emboldened Iran.”
Danny Danon
Iran’s Attack On Israel Deemed A “Necessity”
Iran’s representative to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, said at the UN Security Council that the launch of nearly 200 ballistic missiles was a “necessity” and needed “to restore deterrence.”
“Each act of aggression can’t go unpunished. This is the cost this regime must bear,” Iravani said, referring to Israel.
He said that Iran attacked military and security targets “in full accordance with its right of self-defence” following Israel’s repeated attacks in violation of the country’s territorial integrity.
He noted that Israel also breached Iran’s sovereignty by killing Hamas leader Haniyeh, targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killing an Iranian military adviser in Lebanon.
“All key facts that clearly demonstrated Iran’s self-defence,” he stated.
Iravani pointed out that Iran is now prepared to take “defensive measures to protect its territorial integrity” should Israel retaliate.
Separately, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei slammed the presence of American and European nations in the Middle East.
The remarks by Khamenei on Wednesday were his first since Tehran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel the previous night.
He made no mention of that attack.
He said that Western presence is a source of “conflicts, wars, concerns and enmities” and added that “regional nations can manage themselves and … live together in peace.”
Iran has long seen the presence of U.S. troops in the Middle East as a threat.
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