Urgent Meeting of UN Security Council to Discuss War Between Israel, Iran

Amman: Regarding the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the UN Security Council convened an open emergency session on Friday with the topic "Threats to international peace and security." According to Jordan News Agency, in a letter dated June 18, Iran asked for the summit, and Russia, China, Algeria, and Pakistan backed it. Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres will inform the members. Israel launched strikes on around 100 sites in Iran on June 13, including missile factories, air defense systems, and nuclear facilities, sparking the start of the conflict between the two countries. Claiming air supremacy over Iran, Israel also carried out the killings of a number of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. It also broadened its objectives to include state institutions and energy infrastructure, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corporation. As of June 15, the strikes have killed 224 people and injured 1,277 others, with over 90 percent of those murdered being civilians, according to media reports quoting the Iranian Ministry of Health. Iran retaliated by attacking Israel with a string of ballistic missile and drone strikes. Although 80 to 90 percent of the rockets were apparently intercepted by Israeli air defense systems, some nevertheless managed to hit residential areas, a medical complex, and military and energy infrastructure, resulting in at least 24 fatalities and hundreds of injuries as of June 16.