Israel’s foreign minister said Wednesday that he has banned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he did not “unequivocally” condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, amid heightened conflict between Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, and Israel. Most of the missiles were intercepted in the air, but some penetrated anti-missile defenses. There were no reported casualties.
On the same day, Guterres issued a brief statement mentioning only the “latest attacks in the Middle East”, condemning the clashes, noting that there was “escalation after escalation”. Earlier in the day, Israel sent its troops into southern Lebanon.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, said Guterres’ failure to directly condemn Iran made him unwelcome in Israel. “He who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost all countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” said Katz.
“Israel will continue to defend its citizens and preserve national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres.”, Klix.ba writes.
