Israel’s U.N. ambassador urges sanctions on Iran after missile, drone strikes on population centers

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dani Dunam, told reporters at a U.N. press briefing on 2025-10-26 that Iran had launched “over a thousand missiles and drones directly at Israeli civilians” in the previous 48 hours and urged the international community to impose sanctions and “isolate its regime.”

Dunam said the attacks hit “every major population center” including Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bat Yam, and said recent strikes had killed dozens and injured hundreds. He said, “On Saturday night alone, 10 people were murdered, including 5 Ukrainian nationals who were visiting Israel.”

Why it matters: Dunam framed the strikes as part of a broader Iranian campaign he described as aimed at civilian extermination and tied Israel’s operations — which he called “Operation Rising Lion” — to efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities. He urged the General Assembly and Security Council to act, saying, “Sanction Iran, isolate its regime, cut off its lifelines. The international community must…