UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on Israel-Iran conflict
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today (Monday) at Iran’s request, following Israel’s deadly missile strikes in retaliation for an October 1 attack by Tehran.
The Swiss presidency of the UNSC said on Sunday that the meeting would take place following the request by Iran, supported by Algeria, China and Russia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that what he called Israel’s “precise and powerful” strikes on Iran had been a success, as his country’s forces further pounded targets in Gaza and Lebanon.
The previous Saturday’s strikes by Israeli planes on military targets in Iran had fed fears that the Middle East was spiralling towards an ever wider conflict and triggered global calls for restraint.
AFP reported that Iranian leaders played down the attack, saying the strikes had caused only limited damage and killed four soldiers.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, stressed that the raids had served their purpose of avenging an earlier Iranian missile barrage against Israel.
“The attack in Iran was precise and powerful, achieving all of its objectives,” Netanyahu said in a speech marking the official Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year.
Israel’s strikes were in retaliation for an October 1 attack by Iran, which fired about 200 missiles at Israel, though most were intercepted.
Netanyahu said: “We kept our promise. The air force attacked Iran and hit Iran’s defence capabilities and missile production.”
His speech was interrupted by shouting from relatives of victims of the Hamas attack in the crowd. Netanyahu stood silently for more than a minute during the ceremony, which was broadcast live.
There has been public and diplomatic pressure on the Israeli premier to do more to strike a deal to secure the release of the remaining captives held in Gaza.
Israeli spy chief, David Barnea, is scheduled to head to Qatar on Sunday for talks aimed at restarting negotiations towards a hostage deal, AFP gathered.
Families of the hostages have called on the Israeli government to broker an agreement in the wake of the killing of Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar earlier this month.
Israeli and United States officials as well as some analysts said Sinwar had been a key obstacle to a deal.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said “painful concessions” would be needed to secure their release and that military action alone would not achieve the country’s war aims.
