UNITED NATIONS: UN Security Council members on Wednesday condemned the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and called for stepped-up diplomatic efforts to avert a wider Middle East conflict as tensions sharply escalated across the region.
The 15-member Council convened for an emergency session on the killing of Haniyeh at the request of Iran, which was supported by Russia, Algeria and China.
The Hamas chief’s assassination occurred less than 24 hours after Hezbollah’s most senior military commander was killed in an Israeli strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut in retaliation for a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
“The Security Council should take immediate steps to hold Israel accountable for this act of aggression,” Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the Security Council.
“This includes considering the imposition of sanctions and other measures that are necessary to prevent further violations and to signal that Israeli malevolent activities will not be tolerated by the international community,” Iravani said.
Iran and Hamas blame Israel for the airstrike that killed the Hamas leader, who was in Iran attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not claimed the attack but is widely presumed to have carried it out.
Israeli officials, however, were quick to take responsibility for an airstrike on Tuesday in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, that killed the Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr.
In his remarks, the Iranian ambassador denounced the “cowardly assassination…by Israel” of Haniyeh, saying , “This act of terror is another manifestation of Israel’s decades-long pattern of terrorism and sabotage targeting Palestinians and other supporters of the Palestinian cause across the region and beyond.”
In addition to its terrorist objective, Israel was also pursuing political goals, aiming to disrupt the first day of the new Government of Iran that has prioritized peace and stability in the region, he alleged.
He strongly condemned the “horrible act” as the most serious violation of international law and the UN Charter, urging “immediate and effective action” by the Security Council.
Feda Abdelhady, Deputy Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, said that it had been nearly 300 days since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, which has “gravely breached all tenets of international law” and flagrantly violated the UN Charter.
“A war that threatens international peace and security. Yet, Israel is being permitted to wage this war in broad daylight, with no restraints and no consequences,” she said, adding that “every day brings more horrors, losses and suffering for our people as Israeli occupying forces murder Palestinian children, women and men.”
Ms. Abdelhady “unequivocally condemned” the breach of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iran as well as of Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, by Israel.
“We call once again with utmost urgency on the Security Council, the General Assembly and all law-abiding, peace-loving nations to act forthwith to bring a halt to these horrific, criminal Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people and on our region,” she said.
Lebanese Ambassador and Permanent Representative Hadi Hachem said his country and its people “do not want war”, adding that Beirut has presented a roadmap to ensure security and break the cycle of violence, but has not yet received a response.
At the same time, Israel’s attack on the capital had resulted in deaths and injuries, he said, adding that such an act demonstrates its true intentions. In the same vein, Israel’s killing today of two journalists shows a pattern of targeting media.
Ending Israel’s occupation of Arab lands is essential if the region is to return to calm and stability, the Lebanese envoy said.
That requires good faith, he continued, however, Israel’s behaviour demonstrates otherwise and its claims of self-defence in occupied territories are not valid.
“History will spare no one; what starts in the Middle East will spread to the whole world,” he warned, calling on the Council to take a stand “before it is too late”.
Algerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative Amar Bendjama condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by Israel as “not merely an attack on one man” but “a vicious assault on the very foundations of diplomatic relations, the sanctity of State sovereignty and the principles that underpin our global order”.
He called for full accountability for Israel’s “heinous war crimes” and “egregious human rights violations”.
United States Ambassador Robert Wood and Deputy Permanent Representative, underscored Israel’s right to self-defence, stating that his country was not involved in the strikes on Lebanon or in the apparent death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
He urged Council members with direct influence over Iran to increase pressure on the country to stop escalating its proxy conflict against Israel and other actors.
Syrian Ambassador and Permanent Representative Koussay Aldahhak said the Israeli occupying entity “had committed a grave crime” in Majdal Shams that led to the death of 12 children in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which “is and always has been” Syrian territory.
Reiterating that fellow citizens in the occupied-Syrian Golan have always been part of Syria, he said they call for Israeli practices against them to end. An occupying power cannot claim that they are defending themselves under Article 51 of the UN Charter, he stressed.
Syria condemns Israeli aggression on States in the region, including the assassination of Haniyeh in Iran and the killing of citizens in Lebanon. Meanwhile, he said, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
“The war criminals in Israel would not be able to continue without support,” the Syrian envoy said, calling on the Council to immediately put an end to these crimes and ensure accountability.
