TEL AVIV: In a sharp diplomatic rebuke, Israel declared U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “persona non grata” on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to directly condemn Iran’s recent missile strike on Israeli soil.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally denounce Iran’s heinous attack against Israel has no right to set foot in our country,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a pointed statement.
Katz’s criticism didn’t stop there. He branded Guterres as an “anti-Israel” leader who, in his view, has repeatedly aligned with violent groups. “This is a Secretary-General who offers sympathy to terrorists, rapists, and murderers,” he asserted. Katz went on to claim that Guterres has consistently sided with hostile factions such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, which he described as the “mothership of global terror.”
Katz’s condemnation was triggered by Guterres’ broader call for a halt to the escalating violence in the Middle East, following Iran’s missile attack on Israel. While Guterres expressed concern over the widening conflict, he stopped short of singling out Iran, instead focusing on the need to stop “escalation after escalation.”
“This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” Guterres said, advocating for an end to the violence engulfing the region.
In parallel, Germany’s foreign ministry took a firmer stance, summoning Iran’s ambassador in Berlin to officially condemn the missile attack on Israel. The diplomatic tension underscores the rising concerns over Tehran’s role in the unfolding regional conflict.
