Iran says Israel’s attack on UN ‘must not go unanswered’

Iran’s top diplomat condemned Israel’s unprecedented attack on multiple military sites across the Islamic Republic and vowed to respond to the latest escalation amid a year-long conflict in the Middle East in a letter obtained by news week.

The letter was attributed to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and sent on Saturday to United Nations (UN) The Secretary General, António Guterres, and the President of the UN Security Council, Pascale Christine Baeriswyl, through the Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani.

It came less than 24 hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced “precise and targeted strikes against military targets in several areas of Iran,” said to be a response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel on October 1st. It was also presented as retaliation for previous Israeli operations in the region, including the assassinations of senior Iranian officials and Iran’s allies.

In the letter, Araghchi urged UN leaders to condemn “the illegal and aggressive actions of the Zionist regime, which constitute a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a flagrant violation of international law and of the Charter of the United Nations”.

These attacks, according to Araghchi, also “constitute a serious threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and international law, reserves its inherent right to a legal and legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time,” Araghchi added.

news week has contacted the IDF for comment.

The extent of the damage suffered by Iran as a result of the first recognized Israeli attack on Iranian territory remains uncertain. Both sides have hailed the performance of their respective forces as victories.

After the operation concluded, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Friday that the Israeli Air Force attacked “missile manufacturing facilities used by Iran in its attacks against the State of Israel over the past year.” , as well as “Iran’s surface-to-air missiles.” “Iranian air forces and capabilities that were intended to restrict Israel’s freedom of air operation in Iran.”

He said that “Israel now has broader freedom of air operation in Iran” and that “we will be obliged to respond” if Iran decides to launch another round of retaliation.

Iranian officials and media have downplayed the scale of the attack, which is said to have targeted sites in Khuzestan, Ilam and Tehran provinces. The Iranian military issued a statement on Saturday saying that most of the enemy missiles were successfully intercepted, although some sites were hit and four soldiers were killed during the operation.

Araghchi conveyed these results to UN leaders and stated that “if not for the successful performance of Iran’s air defense, Israeli aggression could have caused significant casualties.”

He added: “In light of the consequences of the Israeli regime’s continued and systematic aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran urges the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to take a firm stance and condemn the Israeli regime for committing these acts of aggression. “Demonstrate firmly and unequivocally to the international community that such egregious violations of international law and the Charter of the United Nations will not go unanswered.”

“In addition,” Araghchi said, “the Islamic Republic of Iran requests the President of the Security Council to convene an urgent meeting to address this serious violation and illegal actions and ensure the accountability of this criminal regime.”

The attack constituted another example of the decades-long conflict between Iran and Israel, which long played out in the shadows and is now increasingly emerging as a direct confrontation.

From Hamasa Palestinian militant group, launched a massive surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran and its Axis of Resistance allies have launched attacks against the country from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen to pressure Israel toward a ceasefire. fire in the Gaza Strip. The expanding conflict has seen Israel expand its objectives against enemies abroad in both claimed and unclaimed operations.

While Iran has long aided non-state actors opposed to Israel, the Islamic Republic was brought directly into the fold in early April, after Israeli warplanes killed senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). at the Tehran embassy complex in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Less than two weeks later, the IRGC, in partnership with several factions of the Resistance Axis, launched a combined missile and drone attack against Israel.

The IDF reported that most of the incoming projectiles were intercepted and little damage was done. Days later, Israel carried out an airstrike against an air defense site located near Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in Esfahan.

In late July, the head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel did not directly claim responsibility for his death, but the act has been widely attributed to its intelligence services, which have a history of operations inside Iran.

The conflict continued to escalate over the next two months, with another unclaimed attack linked to Israel in September leading to detonations of communications devices used primarily by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, killing dozens of people in Lebanon and seriously injuring Iran’s ambassador. . That same month, the IDF killed Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC General Abbas Nilforushan in an airstrike in Beirut.

Shortly after the IDF announced the start of a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, Iran carried out a second, larger-scale missile attack against Israel in early October. Again, the IDF said most of the attacks were intercepted, although several direct hits were detected on sites such as Nevatim Air Base.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He promised to respond, some of the targets discussed included Iranian nuclear, oil and military infrastructure. The White House, however, appeared to discourage attacks on nuclear and oil facilities for fear of further escalation and possible consequences.

After the latest Israeli attack, a senior official of the President joe bidenIsrael’s administration told reporters on Friday that the United States was prepared to help Israel against any new Iranian attack, but also stated that “this should be the end of direct military exchange between Israel and Iran.”

“In terms of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran, we believe this should complete that direct exchange,” the senior administration official said. “And again, if Iran decides to respond, we are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences if Iran makes that unfortunate decision.”