UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned the people of the Middle East are facing a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict, as he urged “maximum restraint” across the region, hours after Iran launched attack drones and missiles against Israel.
He was speaking at an emergency UN Security Council meeting late Sunday, following Iran’s first direct assault on Israel late Saturday.
“It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East…Now is the time for maximum restraint.”
Iran’s action followed weeks of threats that it would retaliate against an attack on its embassy in Syria, which left 13 people dead, and for which the country blames Israel.
Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles from its territory toward Israel, with most intercepted.
Guterres has called for an immediate cessation of these hostilities, as Israel considers its options to retaliate against Iran.
“We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional – and indeed global — peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war.”
"The Middle East is on the brink.
The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict.
Now is the time to defuse & de-escalate.
Now is the time for maximum restraint."
– @antonioguterres tells Security Council. https://t.co/BjI177lz5P pic.twitter.com/9ogLmPfY9Q
— United Nations (@UN) April 14, 2024
Israel’s Ambassador Gilad Erdan also addressed the UN Security Council, saying that Israel had been sounding the alarm on Iran for some time.
“Last night the world witnessed an unprecedented escalation that is clear proof of what can happen when warnings are ignored … [Israel] was not crying wolf; it was trying to wake the world up to the dangers posed by Iran and Its proxies.”
In response, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, accused members on the Council of hypocrisy.
“Iran’s operation was entirely in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense. This concluded action was necessary and proportionate. It was precise and only targeted military objectives and carried out carefully to minimize the potential for escalation and prevent civilian harm.”
Iravani also accused the Council of inaction and that “Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people has only emboldened this regime to continue its violations unchecked”, adding that the US and its allies blocked Security Council on Gaza for over six months, protecting Israel from accountability.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Robert Wood of the United States said Iran must be held accountable.
“Iran’s reckless actions not only posed a threat to populations in Israel, but also to other UN Member States in the region, including Jordan and Iraq,” he said and added:
“The Security Council has an obligation to not let Iran’s actions go unanswered.”
He stressed that the United States is not seeking escalation in the Middle East.
Syrian Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak said that what the Middle East witnessed on Saturday had been the natural and inevitable outcome of repeat aggressions and grave violations of international law and the UN Charter “perpetrated [by the Israeli occupation authorities] in Syria and other countries in the region.”
While it is unclear how Israel plans to respond, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has said it will “exact a price” for Iran’s attack when the time is right.
Iran has however warned that any “reckless” retaliation by Israel would receive a “much stronger response.”
