UN Security Council Countries Warn of Full-Scale War Threat in the Middle East

Member countries of the United Nations Security Council have called for increased diplomatic efforts to prevent the spread of war in the Middle East following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. Haniyeh, who had traveled to Tehran for the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was assassinated early Wednesday, an event that has heightened concerns about the escalation of the Gaza conflict into a regional war in the Middle East. This assassination occurred less than 24 hours after one of Hezbollah's senior commanders was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, which was in retaliation for a deadly rocket attack on the occupied Golan Heights. Shino Mitsuko, Japan's deputy representative to the UN, emphasized international efforts to prevent the war's spread during an emergency Security Council meeting, stating, 'We fear that the region is on the brink of a full-scale war.' China, Russia, and Algeria condemned Haniyeh's assassination at the Security Council meeting. The Iranian ambassador to the UN labeled it a terrorist act, while the United States, the United Kingdom, and France expressed their dissatisfaction with what they called Iran's support for destabilizing forces in the region. Fu Cong, China's ambassador to the UN, identified the lack of a ceasefire in Gaza as a factor exacerbating tensions, urging influential countries to exert more pressure and work more vigorously to extinguish the flames of war in Gaza. Barbara Woodward, the UK's ambassador to the UN, reiterated London's call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged both sides to exercise calm and restraint. She stated that Israel and Hamas should resume the peace process based on a two-state solution. Woodward remarked, 'Peace must be achieved through diplomatic negotiations. Long-lasting peace will not come through bombs and bullets.' Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, called on Security Council members with influence over Iran to 'increase pressure on Iran to prevent the escalation of attacks by its proxy groups against Israel.' Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, stated that Tehran has always exercised maximum restraint but reserves the right to respond decisively. He urged the Security Council to condemn and sanction Israel. Jonathan Miller, Israel's deputy representative to the UN, also called on the Security Council to condemn Iran for its support of regional terrorism, inviting the world to support Israel and asserting, 'We will defend ourselves and stand strong against those who harm us.'