The UN Security Council on Wednesday held an emergency session in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East, at which Israel and Iran threatened to take further countermeasures against each other.
The meeting came after Israel started a ground operation in Lebanon and Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel.
France’s UN ambassador said his country condemns the missile attack by Iran against Israel. He said France calls upon Iran to abstain from any action that could escalate conflicts in the region.
At the same time, he said France opposes any Israeli ground operation in Lebanon and calls for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
Other members also called for de-escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon described the scale of Iran’s missile attack as “unimaginable.” He added that “Iran is determined to escalate further. This is not just a threat to Israel; this is a threat to the entire world.”
He said Israel’s response will be “swift and decisive.”
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said “Iran is fully prepared to take further defensive measures if necessary” against any military aggression by Israel.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s representative appealed for international support, saying his country is facing a humanitarian crisis. He said there are one million internally displaced people, and thousands of them are on the streets without food or water.