Israel Bars UN Chief Guterres' Entry For Not Condemning Iran Missile Strike 'Unequivocally'

Middle East Crisis: A day after Iran launched a salvo of missiles towards Israel, the Israeli government said on Wednesday that it was barring United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned Tehran's strike.

"Today, I have declared UN Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country. Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz announced via a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

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Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday amid an escalation in fighting between its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Many were intercepted mid-air but some penetrated missile defences. No casualties were reported. Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement referencing only the "latest attacks in the Middle East" and condemning the conflict "with escalation after escalation".

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A similar statement, issued via his X handle, said, "I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire." Taking a dig at the UN chief, the government handle of Israel quoted the post saying, "We condemn your inability to string together a tweet which holds Iran responsible for firing 181 ballistic missiles at 10 million Israeli civilians."

We condemn your inability to string together a tweet which holds Iran responsible for firing 181 ballistic missiles at 10 million Israeli civilians.@antonioguterres https://t.co/5MLYbYqLlz

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 1, 2024

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent troops into south Lebanon. Despite calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah continued on Wednesday. While Israel has vowed to strike back at a place and time of its choosing, Iran has said that a "more crushing and ruinous" response awaits the Israelis if they choose to retaliate the missile strike.

(With inputs from Reuters)