Security Council to Discuss Deadly Tanker Attack on Friday

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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Security Council to Discuss Deadly Tanker Attack on Friday

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Britain will discuss a deadly tanker attack off the coast of Oman during a closed-door United Nations Security Council on Friday, diplomats said, but the 15-member body is not expected to take any action.

Britain told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that it was "highly likely" that Iran used one or more drones to carry out the tanker attack last week, which killed two crew members - a Briton and a Romanian.

Israel's defense minister warned Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran after the fatal drone strike on the Mercer Street tanker, which is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire.

Speaking to the news website Ynet, Benny Gantz responded to whether Israel was prepared to attack Iran with a blunt “yes.”

“We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran," Gantz said. "The world needs to take action against Iran now.”



Over 12,300 Civilians Killed since Start of Ukraine War, UN says

A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
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Over 12,300 Civilians Killed since Start of Ukraine War, UN says

A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Ukraine war since Russia invaded nearly three years ago, a UN official said on Wednesday, noting higher casualties in recent months amid the use of drones, long-range missiles and glide bombs, according to Reuters.

"Russian armed forces intensified their operations to capture further territory in eastern Ukraine, with a severe impact on civilians in frontline areas, particularly in the Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions," Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement, referring to developments since September 2024.

"We are deeply concerned by the impacts on civilians of the increased use of drones and the use of new weapons," she added, referring in part to Russia's use of highly destructive guided bombs or glide bombs in residential areas.