Israel's UN Envoy Likens Khamenei To Hitler

Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan launched an unprecedented attack on the regime in Iran, likening Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Adolf Hitler.

Erdan was speaking to the UN Security Council Monday afternoon, as Israel expands its ground invasion of Gaza, backed up by relentless bombardment of the enclave to “eradicate” Hamas.

“Ismail Haniyeh –the leader of Hamas– is not Adolf Hitler,” Erdan said. “He is not the Fuehrer. He is not the leader of this death cult, which wants to rule the world. This role is played by the supreme leader of Iran, the bloodthirsty Ayatollah Khamenei.”

Officials in Israel and Iran are not known to speak kindly of one another. But the words of the Israeli envoy to the UN are particularly severe.

“Just like the Nazi regime, the Ayatollah's regime sows death and destruction everywhere it touches,” Erdan said. “The Ayatollah regime is the Nazi regime of our time, and their army includes Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the IRGC, and other jihadists.”

The Islamic Republic’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas is no secret. Leaders of the regime speak (more or less) openly about their patronage of what they call “the resistance.”

In the weeks since Hamas’ attack on Israel, the rulers of Iran have maintained a degree of ambiguity: boasting about their close and special relationship with Hamas, while refusing to officially recognise any role in the October 7 attack.

The Biden administration seems to have taken a similar position: so far refusing to implicate the Islamic Republic and stressing that there’s no evidence to prove the regime’s direct involvement in planning or executing the attacks and the brutal killing of 1,400 people in Israel.

Erdan referred to the incident in his speech, blaming not just Ali Khamenei, but all those present at the meeting.

“I will make you remember the shame of your silence every time you look at me," Erdan said to the security council, "until the Security Council stops being silent and condemns the October 7 massacre”. “Some of you have learned nothing in the last eighty years!”

The UN General Assembly voted for a humanitarian ceasefire last week. Many agencies and organizations have repeatedly warned about the situation in Gaza.

On Monday, the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees described the situations in Gaza as an “unprecedented” and “unbearable” human tragedy”. Addressing the Security Council just like the Israeli envoy, Philippe Lazzarini said nearly 70 percent of those reported killed have been women and children, according to health officials in Gaza.

The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed to have launched anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces early on Tuesday. The Israeli military posted photos that purport to show its troops in the Gaza strip.

As the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza continues, many are fearing a full blown regional war, engulfing other actors like Hezbollah –whose leader, Hassan Nasrallah has been scheduled to speak Friday, raising speculations that he would declare war on Israel.

The UN special envoy to Syria said to the Security Council Monday that Syrians face “a terrifying prospect” of a wider war. “Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun,” Geir Pedersen said.