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Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon spoke at a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Thursday. "The world is experiencing a period of extraordinary instability. Yet here we are, trapped in endless debates that miss the true heart of the issue," Danon began. "We gather hear time and time again like surgeons debating how to stitch a wound while the patient bleeds out before us." "The longer this body remains blind to the reality, the greater the cost the world will pay," Danon warned. "Israel is not just fighting for itself. We are the frontline in a battle that threatens the entire region and the world. We are standing firm, facing down the forces of the most oppressive regime in the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran." He told the Security Council members, "There is only one regime that openly, proudly, and consistently calls for the destruction of entire nations, the Islamic regime of Iran. I look at you all. You are accustomed to debating conflicts across the world. And in every conflict, you identify its cause, whether it's a dispute over territory, or a dispute over resources or history between nations. Have you asked yourselves, 'What is the conflict that the Iranian regime has with Israel?' Why?" He noted that "there is no territorial dispute" between Iran and Israel or conflict over resources between the two nations that are hundreds of miles apart. "The only reason is their fanatical ideology and festering hatred against the existence of our religion and state." "Iran's grand ambition is the creation of a Shi'ite supremacist empire that stretches across the entire Middle East and beyond. They seek dominance, not diplomacy. They seek to impose their dark vision on the region, reshape the Middle East in their own image, and then extend their influence far beyond their borders. Danon declared, "This council and the world must wake up to the reality of the threat Iran poses. The dark force driving the violence we see today is not a collection of independent groups. It's Iran pulling the strings. Tehran's proxies, Hezbollah in the north, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Syria, and terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, are all Iran's attack dogs, unleashed to spread death and destruction across the region. These proxies are the claws of a beast, a beast that is not content with attacking Israel alone, but is rushing fast toward the domination of the Middle East." "While Iran pulls the strings, the Palestinian Authority stands by, utterly weak and impotent. When they are not turning a blind eye, due to their weakness, they are actively collaborating with these very terror networks. As I have reminded this council many times, it has now been 348 days since the October 7 massacre. And yet the Palestinian Authority, including Mr. Riyadh Mansour, still refuse to condemn Hamas," he said, listing all of the meetings at which the PA representatives never mentioned Hamasn this week. "Zero, nothing. We want to hear that, to hear the distinction between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. And yet, neither you nor President [Mahmoud] Abbas are capable of saying that. With leaders such as them, is it any wonder that terrorism continues to worsen in Judea and Samaria?" Danon asked. "The PA's failure to conduct these threats head-on has only emboldened those who seek to spread terror in our region. With the Palestinian Authority failing to act and Iran's proxies continuing their relentless campaign, the threat to Israel's security grows more urgent by the day." "On our northern border Hezbollah, armed and funded by Iran, continues to launch rockets, drones, and missiles into Israel, with thousands of missiles poised to target our major civilian centers," he said. "In Gaza, Hamas weaponized an entire territory, building the world's most extensive network of terror infrastructure. Now, Iran is attempting to replicate this strategy in Judea and Samaria." Danon noted that it has been uncovered in recent months that "Iran is flooding Judea and Samaria with explosives, grenades, anti-tank mines, and advanced weaponry, while recruiting terrorists to execute attacks against Israeli civilians. Iran's goal is to turn Judea and Samaria into another Gaza, a hotbed of terror that threatens to overflow into neighboring countries. The Iranian weapons which are now flooding into Judea and Samaria are not improvised weapons, they are sophisticated munitions, manufactured by Iran and deployed in Judea and Samaria for the sole purpose of murder." He stated that earlier this year, an Iranian arms smuggling operation in Judea and Samaria was uncovered and enough weapons were seized "to equip a small army, an army funded and armed by Iran." Danon reiterated that this Iranian action is what has prompted Israel's security forces to act in Judea and Samaria to prevent the murder of Israeli citizens. "We do not wait for disaster to strike before we act. Let me ask you all, what would your security forces do if they had intelligence about terrorists planning a massive attack on your civilian population? Think about your capital city. Would there be any doubt about what to do? Well, we have no such doubts, and neither do any of you," he said, noting that Israel is condemned for taking the same steps that led to the prevention of a massive terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Europe recently. "We are not dealing with isolated acts of terror. We are dealing with an orchestrated campaign of destruction directed by the Ayatollahs in Tehran. And while this body debates restraint and diplomacy, Iran's terror network grows stronger. The time for half-measures, blind eyes, and empty statements is over. What is required now is not talk about the symptoms, but action against the regime itself, which is the Iranian regime," he said. Danon concluded by demanding that the UN and international community declare Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as terrorist organizations and the imposition of crippling sanctions against Iran. "While we prevent their murderous aims before they take place, we expect this council to stop them at the root. Israel will defend itself with all the force necessary to protect our people. We will dismantle every terrorist network, uproot every Iranian proxy, and strike down those who seek to harm us. The international community must stand with us, not just for Israel, but for the very future of the Middle East. The stakes could not be higher."