Israel vows to respond to retaliatory drone and missile attacks

We have already heard the following comments from the Secretary-General and members of the Board.

• Guyana
• Sierra Leone
• Slovenia
• US
• algeria
• Japan
• France
• England
• ecuador
• Mozambique
• South Korea

Remaining speakers include the following City Council members:

• Switzerland
• Russian Federation
• China
• malta

Representatives from Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Syrian Arab Republic will also address the group.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood called on the Security Council to “unequivocally condemn Iran’s aggressive actions” and vowed to pursue additional steps to hold Iran accountable there.

“The Security Council has an obligation not to let Iran go unchecked,” Wood said.

Wood said Iran was “extensively” complicit in the October 7 attack with support from Hamas, and that the country’s regime was in “blatant” violation of international law by arming proxy militias. said. Wood told the board that while the United States is seeking to de-escalate the situation, Iran’s actions cannot be ignored.

“This Iranian support contributed to the current Gaza crisis. Colleagues, these and other reckless Iranian actions are not inherently defensive actions against other member states,” Wood said. . “Given the threat that Iran’s aggressive actions pose to international peace and security, we have a collective responsibility as members of the Security Council to ensure that Iran complies with Security Council resolutions and ceases violations of the Charter. ”

At the beginning of today’s Security Council meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for a reduction in tensions for the sake of world stability.

“We have a common responsibility to work for peace. The security of the region, and indeed the world, is being undermined by the minute, and neither the region nor the world can afford more wars,” Guterres said. he said.

The United Nations Secretary-General criticized both Iran’s attack on Israel and the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month. He reminded all parties of their shared responsibility to promote peace, facilitate the return of hostages remaining in Gaza, and establish a humanitarian ceasefire.

“The time has come to step back from the brink,” Guterres said. “It is critical that we avoid actions that could lead to large-scale military conflict on multiple fronts in the Middle East. Civilians are already bearing the brunt and are paying the highest price.”

IDF officials said in a statement to Telegram that Israeli defenses thwarted dozens of drones, cruise missiles and other air threats launched by Iran on Saturday night.

Only a few missiles reached Israel. Roads at Nevatim Air Base, one of Israel’s largest air bases, and in the Hermon district, about three hours away, were damaged. Operations at the air base were not affected, the statement said.

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell and Alex Witt give the latest on Israel’s assessment of the Iranian attack and what we can expect from both countries going forward.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the recent deterioration in regional relations and warned that the only way to reduce regional escalation is to stop the war in Gaza.

“We had warned that Prime Minister Netanyahu was trying to provoke a conflict with Iran in order to drag the US and the West into a regional war. As a result, the focus would shift to Iran and the world would forget about Gaza. ” he told al-Mamlaka news agency. news.

The foreign minister added that following Iran’s retaliation yesterday, the challenge is how to end the invasion so that the world can once again focus on Gaza. Safadi noted that the ministry had summoned the Iranian ambassador to speak about the administration’s criticism of Jordan’s position.

“We do not want any escalation with Iran, and we want good relations with Iran based on the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and respect for others,” Safadi said. “Jordan has the ability to protect its interests. The Iranian issue is an issue with Israel, not with Jordan.”

Safadi said Jordan, which hosts more than 2 million Palestinian refugees, has done more for Palestine than anyone else, including Iran.

Israeli warplanes struck a number of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon today in the Lebanese towns of Kfarkera, Maroun al-Ras, Aita al-Shaab, Suaneh and Markaba, according to a military statement.

The IDF said it was targeting Hezbollah’s “military facilities and terrorist infrastructure” in some locations and “threats” in others.

Lebanese state news reported that a house was hit by two missiles in Maroun al-Ras. He also said that the area of ​​Aita al-Shaab that was hit by shelling was a residential area.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday that Israel was in a very “critical 24 hours” as it carefully considered its next steps in response to the Iranian attack.

Operational plans have been approved for both offensive and defensive actions, but Hagari declined to provide further details. Operations in Gaza will continue and additional reservists will be called up to take part in the fighting, he added.

He said Israel and the United Nations coalition, which includes the United States, Britain and France, successfully intercepted about 350 exploding drones, cruise and ballistic missiles and rockets on Saturday.

“Since the start of the war, Iran’s only desire is to escalate the region,” Hagari said in English. She said: “Up until now she has been operating through her agents, but she has now revealed herself.”

He said rescuing the 133 hostages held by Hamas remains a top priority as Israel plans its response.

“We will not miss the opportunity to bring them back home,” Hagari said. “This is our responsibility.”

TEL AVIV — Israel will respond to the Iranian attack, but a final decision has not yet been made on the scale or timing of the response, an Israeli official told NBC News.

“It’s clear that Israel will respond, but the question is when and on what scale,” the official said after a war cabinet meeting that lasted several hours.

The IDF has been asked to present additional options to decision makers. The official said that among the considerations: whether Israel needs to retaliate immediately or can afford to wait, and how any escalation against Iran would affect Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip. He said that consideration would be given to matters such as whether the

An Israeli government official in the prime minister’s office said that while a decision had not yet been made on what exactly Israel would do, “the Israel Defense Forces need to present options,” adding, “It is clear that Israel will respond.” ” he said.

Another Israeli aide, another member of the war cabinet, said that “no one wants an escalation” and that “we are at a very sensitive moment.”