Iran on Friday called on the United Nations to condemn Israel's
"criminal and aggressive acts" against the Gaza Strip, the Islamic
Republic's Press TV website reported.
"As the rotating president
of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Islamic Republic of Iran expects
all international institutions affiliated to the United Nations to
adhere to their responsibilities towards the Palestinian nation,” Press
TV quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as
saying.
Mehmanparast's comments came following the death of six
Palestinians by two IDF strikes on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
On Wednesday night, IAF aircraft targeted a terrorist squad
in the central Gaza Strip during final preparations to fire rockets at
Israel, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said.
The cell had been involved in rocket fire on southern Israel in the past, the IDF added.
“We identified an accurate strike,” the IDF Spokesman’s Office said.
Palestinian sources said three men were killed in the air strike,
and one wounded. They also said that the cell had been hit near the
border. The wounded were rushed to a local hospital via ambulances.
The
air strikes came after several rockets were fired at Israel over the
past week, one of which struck and damaged a home in Sderot last week.
On
Thursday morning, the IDF attacked a terrorist cell attempting to place
a bomb on the Gaza border. Infantrymen from the Givati Brigade along
with tanks and aircraft successfully struck the cell.
Palestinian sources said that three people were killed by IDF fire in the incident.
The
IDF Spokesman’s Office stated that “the IDF will not tolerate any
attempt to harm Israeli civilians, and will operate against anyone who
uses terror against the State of Israel. The Hamas terror organization
is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza
Strip.”
Yaakov Lappin and JTA contributed to this report.