Israeli officials appear to be getting a little ahead of the curve in an unprecedented move against Israel, which has long criticized the actions of the Middle Eastern country as the conflict continues.
“Today, I declared the United Nations Secretary-General (António Guterres) persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced in a statement posted to X on Wednesday. .
He said Guterres had failed to “unequivocally condemn” Iran’s recent airstrikes on Israel and that a senior UN official “still condemned the genocide and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas killers on October 7.” It added that the decision was taken on the basis that “there is no such thing”.
However, Katz’s claims were quickly fact-checked by Israeli journalist Yanir Kozin, who posted that relevant government sources confirmed that Guterres was able to enter Israel using a non-diplomatic passport. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ announcement said. The diplomatic issues regarding him are meaningless. ”
The apparent gaffe comes after Iran fired some 180 ballistic missiles at Israeli targets on Tuesday night, and as Israel continues its invasion of southern Lebanon, which began a war in Gaza last October. It comes amid the most significant increase in tensions across the Middle East since the outbreak. .
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acknowledged Wednesday morning that U.S. destroyers sent to the Mediterranean supported Israel’s Iron Dome defense system and repelled Iranian barrage.
Little has been confirmed so far about the extent of the damage caused by the attack, with Iran claiming 90% of its rockets hit their target and Israel claiming that most were intercepted mid-flight. Palestinian authorities in the West Bank have reported at least one death. The fire was caused by falling debris and a successful strike.
The Biden administration also expressed support for Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon. The result is yet another mass displacement in a country where an estimated 1 million people have already been forced to flee their homes following a series of Israeli airstrikes that nearly wiped out senior citizens. Over the past week, leaders of Iran’s proxy group Hezbollah have said:
Israel has vowed to retaliate for Tuesday’s airstrike against Iran, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “big mistake” that the Iranian regime will soon pay a price for. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, hailed the shelling as a decisive response to the Zionist regime’s aggression, saying, “Iran is not a belligerent, but it stands firmly against any threat to itself or its proxies.” We will fight back,” he added.
This heated exchange of rhetoric adds to already widespread concerns that Iran’s barrage has put sand in the wheels of diplomatic efforts and pushed the already rapidly escalating Middle East crisis to the point of no return. Last week, it was to mediate a 21-day cessation of fighting between Iran and Israel, which the US and France announced earlier.