Iran representative to UN responds to Katz, confirms legitimacy of Iranian October attack on Israel

Iran claims Israel's admission of assassinating former Hamas leader Haniyeh justifies its October missile attack, escalating diplomatic tensions after Katz's recent statements.

 Israel Katz receives warning of an impending attack from Iran via Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, August 5, 2024. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST, REUTERS)
Israel Katz receives warning of an impending attack from Iran via Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, August 5, 2024.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST, REUTERS)

The Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN responded to the claim Defense Minister Israel Katz made, which took responsibility for the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, saying it confirmed the legitimacy of Iran's October attack on Israel.

The representative shared the document in a Tuesday X/Twitter post.

“This brazen act… legitimizes Iran’s response on 1 October 2024,” the post read.

Following the Houthi’s attack on Israel on Monday, Katz threatened to deliver a “decisive blow… just as we did to Haniyeh.”

This was the first time an Israeli official addressed Israel's participation in assassinating Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July.

Israel was referred to as a ‘terrorist regime’

“The Security Council must not allow the continued impunity of a regime that flagrantly defies international law,” the statement read.

“The continued silence of the Security Council, entrusted with the primary responsibility for maintenance of international peace and security, would not only embolden this terrorist regime for the commission of more atrocious crimes but also undermine the core principles upon which the United Nations was founded.”