Tensions continued to rise in the Middle East. On Wednesday, an emergency meeting was held in the UN Security Council following the murder of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on Wednesday. Several of the speakers advocate that the parties must be restrained and do what they can to calm the conflict. Rosemary Anne DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General of the UN, started the meeting by emphasizing the “disturbing” development in the Middle East. – The international community must work together to avoid actions that can make the conflict much bigger and wider very quickly, she says. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also called the events of the last few days a dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East. – Will continue to defend ourselves The meeting was held at the request of Iran with the support of Russia, China and Algeria, says a spokesman for the Russian chairmanship. It is Russia that holds the rotating leadership of the UN Security Council. Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel took part in the meeting. The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed on Wednesday. Photo: Majid Asgaripour / Reuters/NTB Israel has still not commented on Haniyeh’s murder, but he has long been a sought-after target for Israeli authorities. – We will continue to defend ourselves and our people, said the spokesperson for Israel during the emergency meeting. On Tuesday evening, Israel attacked a target in the Lebanese capital Beirut and killed Hezbollah deputy leader Fouad Shukr. They confirmed this on social media, which they soon after unpublished. On the night of Wednesday, Israel carried out an attack against the Iranian capital Tehran. Ismail Haniyeh was killed in the attack together with a bodyguard. Several countries, including Russia and China, condemned the killing of Haniyeh during the meeting. 12 children were killed when the Golan Heights were attacked. Photo: Leo Correa / AP/NTB The attack against the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders occurred after 12 children were killed on Saturday when a rocket hit a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel claimed it was the Hezbollah militia that was behind it. Hezbollah has denied this. – They will pay a very high price for this attack. One they have not paid before, Benjamin Netanyahu said after the incident. The US says it was not involved. The US representative in the Security Council, Robert Wood, began his speech by emphasizing that Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks against Hezbollah. The US representative in the Security Council, Robert Wood on the right. Photo: MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO / AFP He asks the council to stand together to send a clear message to Hezbollah. The representative says that the US was not involved in or informed about the murder of the Hamas leader on the night of Wednesday. – We have no information about this. The US was also not involved in Israel’s response to Hezbollah in South Beirut, he claims. He warns that this is a dangerous blink of an eye, and asks countries to put pressure on Iran. – The US will continue with diplomatic measures to end the war in Gaza, he says. Haniyeh on official visit to Iran Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s representative condemns the attack in Tehran. Iran’s UN Ambassador. Amir Saeed Iravani. Photo: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters He says that Haniyeh was in Iran on an official visit when he was attacked, and that this was not only an attack on Hamas but also on the Iranian government. – Iran strongly condemns this incident as a violation of international law. He says that the attack would not have been possible without help from the United States. He warns the Security Council that the murder of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders shows that Israel will escalate the conflict. Published 31.07.2024, at 21.31 Updated 01.08.2024, at 01.14
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Emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after the murder of the Hamas leader – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
