UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefs the Security Council. UN Security Council convenes for emergency meeting after Hamas leader killed in Tehran Peace and Security
The UN is extremely concerned about the negative trajectory of events in the Middle East and calls on the entire international community to make every effort to defuse the situation. This was stated by UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, speaking at an emergency meeting of the Security Council convened in connection with the report of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Assassination of the leader of the political wing of Hamas
DiCarlo reported that, according to available information, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the political bureau of the Hamas organization, was killed along with his bodyguard in Tehran. Haniyeh arrived there at the invitation of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
“In a letter to the Security Council president today, Iran blamed Israel for the attack that killed Haniyeh, saying it was a ‘grave assault’ on Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law,” the spokesperson said.
Iran vows to respond
Iran’s Supreme Leader and other senior officials have vowed to avenge Haniyeh’s death, she said, warning Israel of “severe punishment… designed to make the perpetrator regret his actions.” Various non-state armed groups allied with Iran across the region have also threatened to retaliate against Israel, she added.
On live television a few hours ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that in recent days Israel has struck on three fronts, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. He stressed that Israel is waging an existential war with Iran.
A Series of Strikes
Rosemary DiCarlo recalled that the attack on Haniyeh in Iran was the latest in a series of strikes, each of which provoked further escalation. And all this is happening against the backdrop of ongoing violence in Gaza, as well as escalation on both sides of the Blue Line and inside Lebanon.
Strike on Beirut
“Since I last briefed you on July 22, the negative trajectory has continued. In a tragic incident on July 27, 12 children were killed and dozens more were injured in an apparent strike on a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan,” the rapporteur noted.
The IDF said the Iranian Falak-1 missile was fired by Hezbollah north of the village of Shebaa in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the attack. It follows months of increasingly intense cross-line skirmishes and hundreds of airstrikes on Israel from across the region, attacks that DiCarlo said Israel attributes to Iranian-backed forces.
On July 30, the IDF said it had carried out a “targeted strike” in Beirut on a Hezbollah commander believed to be responsible for the Majdal Shams deaths. Hezbollah confirmed that senior commander Fuad Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsin, was killed.
At least five people, including two children, were killed in the attack, and many were injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Strikes on Gaza
The various attacks over the past few days represent a serious and dangerous escalation, DiCarlo stressed. They come amid the ongoing war in Gaza, where Hamas continues to hold hostages kidnapped from Israel on October 7, and the dire humanitarian situation in the strip.
Most recently, on July 27, Israel struck a school in Deir el-Balah where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering, killing dozens of people, including children. “This was yet another reminder of the terrible toll on civilians,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier today, an Al Jazeera journalist and his cameraman were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza while reporting from Haniyeh’s home.
A Dangerous Escalation
“Let me echo the Secretary-General’s words today. The Secretary-General has “consistently called for maximum restraint by all. However, it is increasingly clear that restraint alone is not enough at this extremely difficult time,” the UN warns. “Diplomatic efforts to change the trajectory and find a path to regional peace and stability are urgently needed.” Communication via missiles, armed drones and deadly attacks must stop.”