After Israel confirms killing Haniyeh, Iran tells UN its October missile attack was justified

Following Israel’s confirmation yesterday that it was behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, Iran sends a letter to the UN secretary-general calling on it to condemn the act and claiming that it justifies Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel in October.

Defense Minister Israel Katz “publicly and shamelessly acknowledged that the Israeli regime was responsible for the assassination of Mr. Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting Tehran,” writes the Iranian envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, to Antonio Guterres.

The letter says that Israel’s “audacious and shameless confession… reaffirms the legitimacy and legality of Iran’s defensive response on 1 October 2024.” During that attack, Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, sending millions of citizens into shelters across the country. The IDF says the majority of the missiles were shot down outside of the country, but some damage was caused to military bases.

In a shameless admission, the regime’s Minister of Warmongering confessed to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader and former Prime Minister of Palestine, during his visit to Tehran. This brazen act underscores Israel’s role in terrorism, legitimizes Iran’s… pic.twitter.com/hBgPpYoMi7

— I.R.IRAN Mission to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) December 24, 2024

Iran claims that the UN Security Council “must not allow the continued impunity of a regime that flagrantly defies international law, destabilizes the region, and threatens and endangers international peace and security. The continued silence of the Security Council, entrusted with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, would not only embolden this terrorist regime commission of more atrocious crimes but also undermine the core principles upon which the United Nations was founded.”