Israel must be expelled from UN – Iran

The call comes after an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus killed several civilians

Iran’s foreign ministry has called for Israel to be removed from the United Nations after Syria said multiple civilians had been killed in an IDF airstrike on its capital Damascus on Sunday. 

According to Syria’s SANA state-run news agency, the “Israeli enemy launched an aerial act of aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan.” It said the strike had targeted a residential building in the Sayyidah Zaynab, killing several civilians, including women and children.

In a statement on Monday, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei “vehemently condemned Sunday’s aggressive attack by the Zionist regime,” and accused international bodies of turning a blind eye to alleged Israeli strikes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) typically neither confirms nor denies such attacks. 

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Baghaei also urged the international community to “take practical and effective measures against the Zionist regime, including imposing an arms embargo, expelling the regime from the United Nations, and prosecuting and punishing its leaders.” 

He said Israel routinely targets Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian territory with impunity because it enjoys the “unconditional support” of the US and “certain European nations.” He described those countries as “accomplices in the genocide and war crimes committed” by Israel in Gaza and elsewhere in the region. 

Earlier this month, Malaysia prepared a draft resolution for the United Nations General Assembly, calling for the removal of Israel from the international organization over its actions in Palestine.  

Amid its ongoing military operation against Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as rising tensions with Iran, Israel’s relations with the UN have become increasingly strained.

In early October, West Jerusalem declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata, accusing him of failing to unequivocally condemn a previous Iranian missile attack on the Jewish state. Following Tehran’s strike, Guterres said in a post on X that he condemned the overall broadening of the Middle East conflict. 

More than 100 UN member states have since signed a letter denouncing Israel’s decision regarding Guterres. The document insisted that “such actions undermine the United Nations’ ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support.”