Israel’s Foreign Minister announced on Wednesday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would be barred from entering the country, citing Guterres’ failure to “unequivocally” condemn Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel.
On Tuesday, Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amidst rising tensions and clashes between Hezbollah, a proxy group supported by Iran, and Israel. Although many missiles were intercepted, some breached Israel’s missile defense systems. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Guterres had issued a brief statement the same day, referring to the “latest attacks in the Middle East” and condemning the ongoing conflict, mentioning only “escalation after escalation.” Earlier that day, Israel had deployed troops into southern Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Guterres for not specifically denouncing Iran, stating that this omission rendered him unwelcome 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.
He emphasized that Israel would continue to defend its citizens and protect its national dignity, regardless of Guterres’ stance.