Robert Wood

Tensions soar as Israel and Iran engage in a heated exchange of accusations during an emergency session of the UN Security Council convened in the aftermath of Tehran's barrage of rockets and drones targeting Israel over the weekend.

Israel and Iran accused one another Sunday at the United Nations of being the main threat to peace in the Middle East, each calling on the Security Council to impose sanctions on their sworn enemy.

The report would blame Israeli forces for opening fire on Palestinians waiting for food and other humanitarian aid deliveries near Gaza City and killing more than 100 people.
Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour told reporters after an emergency closed session of the UN Security Council that 14 out of 15 Security Council members supported the statement, according to AP.

In a move that has sparked controversy and drawn widespread attention, the United States has exercised its veto power to block a UN Security Council resolution that sought to hold Israeli security forces accountable for the recent tragedy involving a humanitarian convoy in Gaza. The incident, marked by shooting and stampede, resulted in the deaths of over 100 individuals.

The fierce offensive of Israeli forces against Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip continues. Meanwhile, Washington vetoed the UN Security Council's request for an immediate ceasefire.

Israel intensified its strikes in Gaza on Saturday after the United States blocked an extraordinary UN bid to call for a ceasefire in the two-month war.

Hamas and the Palestinian Authority swiftly condemned the US veto as the Hamas-run health ministry put the latest death toll in Gaza at 17,487 people, mostly women and children.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council on Wednesday of an impending "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza and urged its members to demand an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

The U.N. Security Council on Monday failed again to agree on a resolution on the monthlong Israel-Hamas war.

 Russia has proposed arms control and security talks for President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden to meet.

The leadership in Moscow is still waiting for a response from Washington to such a summit, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday at a virtual UN conference on disarmament.

The United States called on Wednesday for "concerted action" by the international community to pressure North Korea into abandoning its banned nuclear and missile programs by fully enforcing economic sanctions, reported Reuters.