Israel's foreign minister announced on Wednesday that he was prohibiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country due to his failure to "unequivocally" condemn Iran's missile assault on Israel. Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, intensifying the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Although many of these missiles were intercepted mid-air, some managed to breach Israel's missile defenses. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Guterres issued a brief statement on Tuesday, merely referencing the "latest attacks in the Middle East" and condemning the conflict "with escalation after escalation." Earlier that day, Israel had deployed troops into southern Lebanon. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that Guterres' refusal to specifically denounce Iran rendered him 'persona non grata' in Israel.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil," Katz declared. "Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres."
