Israel, Iran accuse each other of endangering peace in the Middle East

New York [US], October 29: At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Israel and Iran harshly criticized each other for endangering peace in the Middle East.
AFP news agency reported on October 29 that Israel and Iran criticized each other for endangering peace in the Middle East , in a tense exchange at the United Nations convened after Israel attacked Iranian military targets.
Israel on October 26 carried out airstrikes on military sites in Iran in response to an Iranian missile attack on Israel on October 1. Iran's attack was in retaliation for the killing of leaders of Iran-backed forces and a commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at Iran's request, both sides affirmed their right to self-defense.
"Israel's aggression against Iran is clear and not isolated. This aggressive attack is part of a broader, long-standing pattern of unjustified impunity by which Israel continues to destabilize the entire region," Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said.
He added that Israel's "systematic and persistent violations of international law " and military engagements in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen should draw "unequivocal condemnation" from the council.
The ambassador reiterated Iran's threat of retaliation, but said Tehran preferred diplomacy.
For his part, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said his country defended itself after Iran's October 1 missile attacks.
"We promised that their actions would not go unanswered," he reiterated.
"Iran has spread violence, chaos and destruction across the Middle East. But this violence is not limited to Israel's borders. It threatens regional stability, global security and economic stability," the ambassador charged, calling for strong sanctions against Iran, especially to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
The US has defended its ally Israel. "Our message to Iran remains clear: if they choose to take further aggressive actions against Israel or US personnel in the region, there will be serious consequences," US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at the meeting.
"We will not hesitate to act in self-defense," she said, but added that the US wanted to avoid escalation.
In another development, the Israeli Parliament on October 28 banned the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), despite opposition from the United States and many European countries.
Lawmakers passed the bill by 92 votes to 10, after years of harsh criticism of UNRWA by Israel.
The ban on the UN agency responsible for providing vital aid and support across the Palestinian territories and to Palestinian refugees elsewhere for more than seven decades would be a blow to humanitarian work in Gaza if implemented, observers say.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the decision, saying it set a "dangerous precedent". "This is the latest move in an ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA. These bills will only deepen the suffering of the Palestinian people," he wrote on social media X.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper