Israel’s strikes on Iran threaten human right to life, says UN official

By Gozde Bayar

Israel’s overnight airstrikes on Iran are threatening the human right to life, the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights said on Friday.

“Israel’s latest strikes on Iran are another violation of the prohibition on the use of military force under international law & the UN Charter, and threaten the human right to life,” Ben Saul said on X.

UN experts, including Saul, earlier said all countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism.

Israel has not provided any legal justification for the strike or reported it to the Security Council, as required by Article 51 of the UN Charter, according to experts.

Explosions were reported in Iran's central Isfahan city and the west of the northwestern city of Tabriz, the state news agency IRNA reported.

Tensions escalated between Iran and Israel after Tehran launched a drone and missile attack on Saturday in response to the April 1 attack on its consulate in Syria, in which seven military advisers were killed.

Israel has vowed a military response to Iran’s weekend attack.​​​​​​​