Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
(Note: The final summary of this meeting will be available at a later time.)
Briefing
KHALED KHIARI, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, noted that Iran transmitted a letter to the Secretary-General and the Security Council stating that Israel has attacked its diplomatic premises in Damascus by missile strikes, killing at least five Iranian personnel, including senior military advisors and injuring others. According to media reports, the death toll has risen to 13 — seven Iranian personnel and six Syrian citizens. Reiterating the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the attack, he declared that the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States must be respected under international law.
“The rules-based international order is essential for international peace and security, which this Council is mandated to maintain,” he said, noting that Geir O. Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, has kept the Council apprised of the unrelenting violence on the ground, where six foreign armies are operating on its territory, impacting the lives of civilians and moving a peaceful resolution of the conflict farther out of reach. Lethal attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria have been increasingly attributed to Israel, especially since the current conflict with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October. While Israel has rarely claimed responsibility for any of these incidents, its officials have repeatedly acknowledged its military operations in Syria and have suggested that more such operations will occur in the future.
He then appealed to the Council to continue to actively engage all concerned parties to prevent further escalation, reiterating the Secretary-General’s calls on all concerned parties to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation. “Any miscalculation could lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region, with devastating consequences for civilians who are already seeing unprecedented suffering in Syria, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the broader Middle East,” he warned.
Statements
The representative of the Russian Federation condemned the incessant missile and bomb attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces targeting various sides in Syria, against the backdrop of the unprecedented scale of casualties brought about by the military operation in Gaza. He also sounded alarm over the blatant disregard of the Council’s legally binding decisions by the Israeli authorities, with Washington, D.C.,’s connivance. On 1 April, the Israeli air forces struck Iran’s consulate in Damascus, levelling the building to the ground. Any attack on diplomatic and consular premises violates the 1961 and 1963 Vienna Convention, he asserted, drawing particular attention to the fact that “this is not the first attack carried out by Israel in the densely populated area of Damascus”. In the past few months alone, Israeli aircraft have attacked the international airports in Damascus and Aleppo — the main gateways for the entry of humanitarian aid into Syria — several times. He further condemned the ongoing raids on the sovereign territory of Syria, noting that such aggressive actions are designed to further fuel the conflict and might have extremely dangerous consequences for the entire region. Calling on the international community to condemn Israel’s reckless actions, he said: “If we don’t reaffirm this position of solidarity, next time, the diplomatic mission by any State can be targeted by an air raid.”
The representative of China described an airstrike on the Iranian diplomatic premises in Syria as “a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law” and “a breach of the sovereignty of both Syria and Iran”. Recalling that 25 years ago, China’s Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was bombed by a United States-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) airstrike, resulting in personnel casualties and damage to the Embassy, he expressed sympathy and condolences to the Government of Iran and its people. In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and the universally recognized basic norms governing international relations, the safety and security of diplomatic missions is inviolable. “The red line of international law and the basic norms of international relations has been breached time and again,” he said, adding that the moral bottom line of human conscience has also been crushed time and again. Such a situation must stop immediately.
The representative of France said that yesterday’s strikes in Damascus have taken place in the context of heightened tensions in Syria and the region. Since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October, Iran and its regional partners have born heavy responsibility for this escalation. The international community must do everything possible to ease tensions, he said, calling on all actors to show restraint and prevent regional spillover. Turning to the disturbing situation in the Red Sea, he condemned the destabilizing actions carried out by the Houthis. In Syria, he called for the implementation of resolution 2254 (2015) and voiced regret over the refusal of the Syrian Government to commit to a credible political process.
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