Israel says U.N. Secretary-General would be denied entry into the country

Israel’s foreign minister announced on Wednesday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would be denied entry into the country due to his failure to “unequivocally” condemn Iran‘s missile strikes against Israel.

On Tuesday, Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid heightened tensions involving its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. While many missiles were intercepted, some managed to breach Israel’s missile defense systems, although no casualties were reported.

In a statement on Tuesday, Guterres briefly addressed the “latest attacks in the Middle East,” condemning the ongoing conflict but not specifically mentioning Iran. Earlier that day, Israel had deployed troops into southern Lebanon.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that Guterres’ reluctance to denounce Iran’s actions 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 remarked.