Bat Yam Mayor Serves 250 Million Shekel Lawsuit Against Iran in New York
Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brot tracked down an Iranian UN diplomat in Manhattan to serve a 250 million shekel lawsuit against Iran over missile damages. The legal action targets Tehran for destruction suffered during Operation 'Am Kalavi'.
Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brot traveled to Manhattan to personally serve an unprecedented 250 million shekel lawsuit against Iran following extensive missile damage to the Israeli coastal city. Working in coordination with Israeli and American officials during a four-month covert operation, Brot and his team tracked down an Iranian UN diplomat near United Nations headquarters in New York.
According to reports, the operation targeted the first secretary of the Iranian UN mission. Spotters alerted Brot when the diplomat emerged from a building, prompting the mayor to approach him at a street corner. When the diplomat invoked his diplomatic immunity and attempted to walk away, Brot and his team followed him through the streets of Manhattan for several minutes, reading the legal documents aloud to fulfill service requirements.
Legal experts note that under procedural rules, advancing the lawsuit in Israel requires demonstrating that an official representative of the defendant received the documents or was given an opportunity to review them. The lawsuit was filed in the Jerusalem District Court, drafted in Hebrew and translated into Persian.
The litigation stems from severe destruction inflicted on Bat Yam during Iranian missile attacks, specifically during Operation 'Am Kalavi'. The municipality suffered heavy casualties and infrastructure damage, including 160 damaged buildings, 22 of which required immediate demolition. Nine residents were killed, 178 were injured, and thousands were displaced, requiring the city to provide alternative housing and extensive recovery operations.
The legal action was initiated by Mayor Brot and handled by an international team led by the Shurat HaDin organization, headed by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. The lawsuit targets Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, marking what organizers describe as the first time they are sued for damages caused to foreign municipalities by terrorist attacks.
Bat Yam officials are eyeing a potential source for compensation: a disputed Israeli debt of approximately 1.1 billion dollars owed to Iran stemming from the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC) arbitration ruling. Although the debt was established through international arbitration, Israel withholds payment due to trading bans with enemy states. The municipality hopes that securing a favorable court judgment will allow them to claim a portion of these frozen funds.
Iran now has sixty days to respond to the lawsuit. If Tehran fails to submit a defense, the municipality can request a default judgment, though additional enforcement proceedings would be required to collect the funds.
