UN Security Council to meet Sunday on Iran attack after Israel request

The United Nations building is pictured in New York City, U.S., February 23, 2023. /Mike Segar/File Photo

The United Nations Security Council is set to meet on Sunday after Israel requested the council condemn Iran's attack on Israel and designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.

The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT), according to a schedule released late on Saturday.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, requested the council hold an emergency meeting in a letter on Saturday to the council's president.

"The Iranian attack is a serious threat to global peace and security and I expect the Council to use every means to take concrete action against Iran," Erdan wrote in a post on X.

Iran launched a swarm of explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, risking a major escalation as the United States pledged "ironclad" backing for Israel.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)