Jerusalem, Oct 03 (V7N)— Israel has declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "persona non grata" and banned him from entering the country. The decision was announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Kurtz on Wednesday, following Guterres' failure to explicitly condemn Iran for its recent missile attacks on Israel.

Kurtz criticised Guterres for not addressing Iran's aggressive actions after the country fired 180 missiles at Israeli territory, including Tel Aviv, on Tuesday evening. Although there are reports of significant damage, the Israeli government has yet to provide details.

In his statement, Kurtz argued that anyone who does not unequivocally denounce Iran's "heinous" actions is unfit to set foot in Israel. While it is unclear if Kurtz has the legal authority to enforce this ban, Israeli media note that such authority is typically reserved for the interior minister.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry further accused Guterres of not condemning Hamas for the October 7 massacre and sexual violence, nor has he officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

There has been no response from Guterres or the United Nations on the matter as of yet.

END/RH/AJ