Israel attacked Iran with the same justification from Russia in the invasion of Ukraine
This self -defense argument in view of a hypothetical attack used by Russia, and now Israel, “is not really self -defense.” “This is about that, say, you don’t like someone, you think it’s a threat and, therefore, believe you have the right to declare war against that person. This is not what international law says,” says the expert.
Milanovic points out that the self -defense argument, from the perspective of international law, is strict to “not undermine” the current current legislation. For the expert, in either case – from Israel and Russia -, invading or bombarding a country under the pretext that she attacked him in the past or because she could attack again in the future, is not a legal justification for making the invasion or attack on lawful acts, and is a way to “undermine the whole system of international law.”
Israel denies having acted in disagreement with international law by attacking Iran. Israeli political leaders have described their country’s offensive against Tehran, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as an “anticipatory” operation against Iranian nuclear facilities, which will be able to manufacture nuclear weapons that can be used against the Jewish state.
By announcing the invasion of Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Putin acted on the self -defense argument of his country. At the time, Putin claimed concern to Russian sovereignty if Ukraine became a member of NATO, a fact that would enable the United States to install military bases in the country neighboring its territory – US and Russia have been enemies since the Cold War.
The UN and the West vehemently condemned the Russian invasion in Ukraine. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres personally told Putin that Russian military onslaught in the neighboring country “constitutes a violation of international law.” Western countries have imposed hundreds of sanctions on Kremlin, ranging from the economic area to the sport – Russia has been banned from all international competitions, including the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup.
In the case of Israel’s attacks on Iran, the UN says the Jewish state “may have violated” international law. The West calls for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, but did not impose sanctions on Israel. In turn, Russia and China, allies of Tehran, denounced the United States for joining the war and attacking Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.
