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Israel to UN: We will not tolerate violation of our sovereignty

“Israel will defend its citizens and will not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty,” Danon said of the weekend’s events.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon on Saturday addressed the Security Council members in a sharply worded letter following the weekend violence in northern Israel. An Iranian drone had invaded Israel in the early morning hours, prompting several Israeli air strikes in Syria, including against the Iranian operators of the drone.

“This is not the first time that we have warned you of Iran’s dangerous actions that undermine the situation in our region. This incident proves every one of those warnings correct,” Danon wrote. “Israel will defend its citizens and will not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty.”

Danon called on the Security Council to condemn Iran’s actions.

“I call on the Security Council to condemn this dangerous act and to put an immediate end to Iranian provocations. Security Council members must not stand idly by while Iran is instigating dangerous escalations and violating Security Council resolutions,” Danon demanded.

Just last month, Danon addressed the Security Council and provided new information about Iran’s attempt to turn Syria into “the largest military base in the world.”

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“We are releasing this classified information because it is vital for the world to understand that if we turn a blind eye in Syria, the Iranian threat will only grow,” Danon told the Council.

Disappointing UN response

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stated on Saturday that the UN chief is “following closely the alarming military escalation throughout Syria and the dangerous spillover across its borders.”

Guterres “stresses once again that all concerned in Syria and the region have a responsibility and must abide by international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.” He called “on all to work for an immediate and unconditional de-escalation of violence and exercise restraint.”

Speaking to IDF Radio on Sunday, Danon said Israel was disappointed with Guterres’ response.

“We are not satisfied with Secretary-General’s words,” Danon said, noting that Guterres had failed to mention Iran directly. “We have been warning for months that the Iranians are not here [in Syria] to fight ISIS [the Islamic State terror organization], but rather to fight Israel.”

“Iran wants to turn Syria into Lebanon II – yesterday we received a sampling of what can happen in our region,” he added.

Israel has long warned about the involvement of its arch enemy Iran, including its terror proxy, Hezbollah, in Syria. Issues of concern include a “Shiite corridor” with land links from Iran to Lebanon, providing free movement for terrorists and weapons across the region.