Israel bans UN chief from visiting country over neutral stance on Iran’s missile attack

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has decided to declare UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata and ban from the country, slamming Guterres' statement following Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel, Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil. This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers," Katz noted.

Guterres wrote on X following the Iranian attack: "I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire."

Notably, on October 1 evening, Iran retaliated against the Israeli assassination of key figures, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, by launching up to 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli military and intelligence sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Most missiles were shot down by Israeli aerial defence systems, an Israeli security official said, while a BBC correspondent in Jerusalem said some military bases may have been hit, and that restaurants and schools were hit.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) maintained that 90% of projectiles had hit their targets, saying hypersonic missiles had been used for the first time. IRGC sources said three Israeli military bases had been targeted.

By Khagan Isayev