Israel declared U.N. chief Antonio Guterres "persona non grata," barring him from entry Wednesday after accusing him of failure to condemn Iran's missile attack on the country.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.
"This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers," he added.
Earlier Tuesday, Iran fired a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel, in an apparent retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon and the assassinations of the group's leader.
I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation.
This must stop.
We absolutely need a ceasefire.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 1, 2024
Guterres, in his reaction, condemned the rapid escalation of violence in the region without specifically mentioning Iran, Israel or any other countries.
"I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire," he wrote on the social media site, X, as the first reports of the Iranian missile strike appeared.
