Israel declares UN chief 'persona non grata'

Israel declared UN chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.

“This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers,” he alleged.

Katz in his diatribe against the UN chief alleged that Guterres, supported the ” Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come”.

Following Iran’s missile attack on Israel late Tuesday, Guterres condemned the “broadening conflict in the Middle East”, slamming “escalation after escalation” in the region.

“This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” said Guterres.

Israel has been a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the Israel’s war in Gaza.

Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to halt the fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon.