Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, particularly following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air strike, Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, according to a letter to the Council sent to AFP.
In the letter, Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called on the Council to "take immediate and decisive action to stop Israel's ongoing aggression and prevent from dragging the region into full-scale war."
What has the UN said about the latest escalation?
United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern over the latest escalation in the conflict, and urged all sides to stop the “cycle of violence.”
Sharing a post on X, Guterres said, “I’m gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours. This cycle of violence must stop now. All sides must step back from the brink… The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war.”
Meanwhile, UNICEF sounded the alarm over the strikes in Beirut, condemning the recent escalation that has claimed thousands of lives.
Israel continue attack on Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Sunday it conducted strikes against "dozens" of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, two days after an air strike killed the group's chief Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israel Defense Forces "attacked dozens of terrorist targets in the territory of Lebanon in the last few hours," the army said in a statement on Telegram.
The statement said the strikes targeted "buildings where weapons and military structures of the organisation were stored".
Israel has attacked "hundreds" of Hezbollah targets in the last day, it added, as it aims to disable the group.
Biden says Hezbollah leader's killing a 'measure of justice'
The United States on Saturday offered clear support for Israel's bombing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including a strike that killed the group's longtime leader, but also said the time has come for ceasefires there and in Gaza.
President Joe Biden called the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah "a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese civilians."
In a statement one day after an Israeli air strike on a southern Beirut suburb killed Nasrallah, Biden reiterated US support for "Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Huthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups."
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president in November, called Nasrallah "a terrorist with American blood on his hands."
The strong support from Washington, Israel's top ally, came as Russia, several European countries and the United Nations warned of the killing's potential repercussions.
Netanyahu vows that Israel will keep 'degrading Hezbollah' until its objectives are met
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the killing of Nasrallah marked a historic turning point, potentially altering the balance of power in the Middle East, though he cautioned of “challenging days” ahead.
He signaled to the world from the United Nations on Friday that the multiple conflicts in the Middle East were far from resolved, and he vowed to continue battling the Lebanese Hezbollah and defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip until “total victory."
“Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safely. And that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Netanyahu said, eliciting applause from supporters in the gallery of the General Assembly. “We’ll continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met,” he said.
