Iran, Israel each press UN to condemn the other after airstrikes

Iranian protesters attend a demonstration to condemn the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as they hold his posters with signs that read in Arabic: “Congratulations Haniyeh!” at Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said early Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Associated Press Photo/Vahid Salemi)

UNITED NATIONS — Iran and Israel each pressed the United Nations Security Council to condemn the other after airstrikes killed two anti-Israel militant leaders in Iran and Lebanon and raised concerns that a regional war could erupt.

But the UN’s most powerful body issued no collective message after Wednesday’s emergency meeting. The 15 members variously warned that the Middle East was at a precarious point, worried about potential escalation, called for restraint and diplomacy, and pointed fingers along longstanding fault lines.

READ: Hamas says chief Haniyeh killed in ‘Zionist’ strike in Tehran

Iran blames Israel for the killings of Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran and of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. Israel acknowledges the Lebanon strike, saying the target was behind a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 young people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but Israel has been silent on Haniyeh’s death.

Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani urged the council to hold Israel accountable and consider sanctions. He underscored that his country reserved the right to “respond decisively to this terrorist and criminal act” when “necessary and appropriate.”

READ: Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’

Israeli Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Miller exhorted the council to condemn Iran and increase sanctions on a country he called “the engine driving the machinery of death and destruction” through support for such groups as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Lebanese Ambassador Hadi Hachem accused Israel of trying to kindle a region-wide conflict. He implored the council “to take a firm stand before it is too late.”