Iran declares Ukraine a legitimate target over alleged drone aid to Israel
Ebrahim Azizi of the Iranian parliamentary national security committee declared on Saturday that Kyiv is now an "legitimate" military objective due to accusations it provided drones used in attacks against Tehran. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously denied such claims, stating only 12 nations sought assistance for countering drone strikes from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Azizi insisted that Ukraine has officially joined the war on Israel by supplying weapons to Tel Aviv via third countries like Turkey and Egypt.
Key Points
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1Iran's parliamentary national security committee head Ebrahim Azizi declared Ukraine a legitimate target for attack.
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2The claim follows allegations that Ukrainian assistance enabled Israel to use drones in attacks on Iran, with Zelenskyy previously noting support from an alliance of countries including the US and UK.
Developments
Iran claims it can legally target Kyiv under UN self-defense provisions after President Zelenskyy stated that 11 countries sought assistance against Iranian drone strikes on Gulf states, though Iran did not confirm Ukraine supplied the drones used in those attacks while noting its own military experts are currently deployed to help defend Qatar and neighboring nations.