NEW YORK (Dunya News) – Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Israel’s “blatant provocations” against Iran pose a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
“Iran has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” he said while addressing the emergency session of the UN Security Council over Iran-Israel conflict amid strikes and counterstrikes.
Iftikhar alleged that Israel’s actions in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen “reflect a continuing pattern of unilateral militarism”.
“The fact that these attacks against Iran have happened in the middle of a negotiations process aimed at finding a peaceful diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue makes it all the more morally repugnant and against international norms,” he added.
Ahmad urged all parties to avoid further escalation and prioritise dialogue. He also called on the Security Council to “hold the aggressor accountable for its actions. This Council must deny Israel the free hand and the impunity with which it continues to operate in defiance of international law and international opinion.”
Iran and Israel targeted each other with missiles and airstrikes early on Saturday after Israel launched its biggest-ever air offensive against its longtime foe in a bid to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel's two largest cities, sending residents rushing into shelters as successive waves of Iranian missiles streaked across the skies. The military said its air defence systems were operating.
"In the last hour, dozens of missiles have been launched at the state of Israel from Iran, some of which were intercepted," the Israeli military said.
It said rescue teams were working at a number of locations across the country where fallen projectiles were reported, without commenting on casualties. However, reports said four people were killed and 63 injured while several buildings were damaged in Iranian strikes.
Iran has named the retaliatory strikes "Operation True Promise 3” with a senior Iranian military official, General Ahmad Vahidi, saying the strikes will continue as long as necessary.
The strikes come hours after the Israeli regime, in unprovoked aggression, targeted locations in Iranian territory, including residential buildings.