US vetoing of Gaza ceasefire resolution ‘disgraceful’: Iran’s UN envoy

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has slammed the US vetoing of a Gaza ceasefire resolution as “disgraceful”, urging the UN Security Council to put an end to the immunity of the Israeli regime.

Speaking at a meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council on Thursday, Amir Saeid Iravani blamed the “unwavering” US support and the “inaction” of the Security Council for Israel’s crimes.

His remarks came as the US on Wednesday vetoed a resolution calling for “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza.         

“This disgraceful veto not only highlights the Security Council’s failure to uphold its Charter-based mandate, but also serves as a US-granted license for the occupying regime to continue its carnage in Gaza and Lebanon with full impunity.”

“This has undermined humanitarian efforts and poses a grave threat to regional and global peace,” he warned.

Iravani warned that Israel's ongoing crimes “risk igniting a catastrophic war with global repercussions,” urging the UNSC to “act decisively to end Israel’s impunity.”

“The Council must hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and ensure the protection of civilians,” he said.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 44,056 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 104,268 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Israel has also been targeting Lebanon since October 2023, when it launched the genocidal war on Gaza.

Hezbollah has been responding to the aggression with numerous retaliatory operations, targeting the occupied Palestinian territories.

Since late September, Israel has escalated its strikes against Hezbollah, assassinating its leader Hassan Nasrallah and a number of its senior figures.

At least 3,583 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the clashes began last year, according to the health ministry.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Iravani said Israel’s aggressions in the region have exacerbated the “dire” situation in Syria, adding that the Israeli regime, in coordination with the terrorist groups, is “deliberately pursuing a systematic policy aimed at crippling the infrastructure of the Syrian Arab Republic.”

Syria: Israel’s deadly strike on Palmyra reflects Zionist crimes in region

Syria has strongly slammed Israel’s latest airstrike on Palmyra city that left three dozen people dead.

Israel frequently targets military positions inside Syria, especially those of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

Iravani reiterated that the political solution is “the only viable path to resolving the Syrian crisis.”

“Any sustainable solution must fully uphold Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, end the illegal presence of foreign forces, particularly US forces, halt the exploitation of Syria’s natural resources, and cease ongoing support by the US and Israel for terrorist groups.”

Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by a campaign of militancy and destruction sponsored by the US and its allies.

In recent years, however, Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have managed to win back control of almost all regions from terrorist groups.

The US military has stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oil fields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.

Damascus maintains that the deployment is meant to plunder Syria’s natural resources. Former US President Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.

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