UN Chief Warns of ‘Dangerous Escalation’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday denounced Israeli strikes on Beirut and Tehran as a “dangerous escalation,” after Israel targeted a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas said its political chief was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on Iran’s capital.

“The Secretary-General believes that the attacks we have seen in South Beirut and Tehran represent a dangerous escalation at a moment in which all efforts should instead be leading to a ceasefire in Gaza” and “the release of all Israeli hostages,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT) in response to the escalation. The meeting, requested by Iran and supported by Russia, China, and Algeria, aims to address the recent surge in violence.

The violence began early Wednesday morning when Israeli forces reportedly targeted a military residence in northern Tehran, killing Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. The strike, executed with an air-launched missile, also resulted in the death of Haniyeh’s bodyguard.

Iranian state media and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have termed the incident a “hit” and a “flagrant violation of international law”.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has promised “harsh punishment” for Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

In a statement on Wednesday, Khamenei condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of international law” and promised severe repercussions for Israel. “The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us bereaved,” Khamenei said, adding that “it also prepared the ground for a harsh punishment for itself.”

Khamenei said, “It is our duty to avenge his blood in this bitter and difficult incident that happened in the territory of the Islamic Republic.”

The assassination of Haniyeh comes amid heightened tensions in the region, following recent attacks involving Israel, Hezbollah, and US forces. On Tuesday, Israel targeted a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, killing a senior commander identified as Fuad Shukr. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, claiming that Shukr was responsible for a rocket attack on the Golan Heights that resulted in the deaths of 12 children in a Druze town.

Hezbollah sources said that the body of top commander Fuad Shukr had been recovered Wednesday, almost 24 hours after he was killed in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut.

The source, who requested anonymity, said “Shukr’s body has been found under the rubble of the targeted building,” after Israel’s military said it had killed the commander on Tuesday.