IRAN: ISRAEL A THREAT TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE

'Stop Israel before it sets the whole region on fire.'

That was Iran's message to the world during a heated UN Security Council emergency session that Israel called to discuss Iran's retaliatory strikes on Tel Aviv.

Tehran's envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, called on the body to take action against Tel Aviv's 'destabilising and irresponsible actions.' He said Israel's recent acts, such as the 1 April attack on the Persian nation's consulate in Syria, can potentially engulf the entire region in a bloody war. Iravani warned that the UN's failure to hold Israel accountable in the past has only emboldened Tel Aviv to continue on its path of aggression.

On 13 April, Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Israel to retaliate against Tel Aviv for attacking its diplomatic station in Damascus, killing 16 people, including two senior Iranian generals. Embassies and consulates are considered the sovereign territory of respective countries. Proportional retaliation is a right per international law.

The incident has brought Iran and Israel to the brink of war. That would negatively affect Africa because it would take place on the doorstep of Egypt, which shares a border with Israel. Other African countries such as Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea would also be affected as they sit on the Red Sea, which would inevitably turn into a theatre of war.