Iran

Sullivan made the announcement on Tuesday, April 16, emphasizing that President Joe Biden is actively collaborating with allies, such as the G7, and bipartisan leaders in Congress to devise a comprehensive strategy to address Iran's unprecedented aerial strike on Israel.

Highlighting Israel's capability to defend itself, Halevi emphasized that any attempt to launch missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Israeli territory will be met with a robust response. Iran's barrage of 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, and rockets on Sunday morning was largely intercepted and neutralized by Israel's Iron Shield defense system, with 99 percent of the projectiles intercepted before reaching Israeli soil.

Expressing solidarity with Israel, Sunak pledged to engage with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss measures to prevent further escalation and underscored the importance of upholding regional security. He outlined three key priorities moving forward: maintaining regional stability, pursuing the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Council President Vanessa Frazier emphasized the consensus among members to prevent any further escalation, echoing Guterres' call to step back from the brink of a potential conflict.

Guterres implored all involved parties to exercise utmost restraint, emphasizing the imperative to avert any actions that could precipitate widespread military clashes across multiple fronts in the Middle East

Over the course of Saturday night, Iran and its affiliated groups from Yemen, Syria, and Iraq launched an onslaught of over 200 projectiles towards Israel. This included a barrage of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

President Biden, accompanied by top officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, engaged in a comprehensive hour-long discussion to assess the situation.