Photo: Collected
Iran was forced to launch an attack on Israel due to destructive actions of the United Nations, the United States and other Western countries, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (16 April).
The presidents held a phone conversation earlier in the day at the Iranian side's initiative.
"The destructive role of the US and a number of other Western countries, as well as the inaction and ineffectiveness of international institutions, including the UN and the Security Council, in dealing with Israel's aggressive actions in connection with the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria forced Iran to take action and exercise its right of self-defense based on Article 51 of the UN Charter," Raisi said, as quoted in a statement posted on the presidency’s website.
On Saturday night, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The attack came in response to Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital in early April. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel had intercepted 99% of the aerial targets fired by Iran, including all drones.
Messenger/Mumu
