Israel bars UN secretary-general from entering the country: 'Unworthy of setting foot on Israeli soil'

On Wednesday, the UNSC convened after Iran's attack on Israel, but the meeting was overshadowed by Israel's announcement that it had banned the U.N. secretary-general due to his inability to condemn Iran.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that anyone who cannot clearly condemn Iran's attack on Israel should not be allowed to set foot on Israeli soil, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been declared persona non grata.

"Katz contended that Guterres is an anti-Israel secretary-general who supports terrorists, rapists, and murderers. He predicted that Guterres' legacy would be remembered as a stain on the history of the U.N. for generations to come."

On Tuesday, Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel following the death of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and Israel Defense Forces' targeted incursions into Lebanon against the terrorist group.

Guterres condemned Iran's attack on Tuesday as the "latest escalation of conflict in the Middle East."

Israel was criticized by him for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank, with the claim that Israel's military campaign in Gaza was the most deadly and destructive in his years.

"Guterres stated that the Palestinian people's suffering in Gaza is beyond comprehension, while the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is deteriorating with Israeli military operations."

The construction of settlements, evictions, land grabs, and the escalation of settler attacks are eroding the possibility of a two-state solution, while Palestinian armed groups have also resorted to violence, according to him.

Guterres was criticized by Israel for not condemning Iran's attack "unequivocally" and for not mentioning Iran during the discussion. In response, Israel declared him persona non grata, which means he is no longer welcome in the country.

Katz stated that anyone who cannot clearly condemn Iran's attack on Israel, as most countries have done, does not deserve to be on Israeli soil.

The secretary-general has not condemned the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on Oct. 7 and has not taken any actions to declare them a terrorist organization, as stated by Katz.

"António Guterres, the secretary-general who supports terrorists, rapists, and murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the U.N. for generations to come," he added. "Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres."

Guterres condemned Iran's massive missile attack on Israel, repeating his condemnation from April and making it clear that he should have done so earlier.

Algeria expressed anger after Israel banned Guterres, prompting the country to first express "sincere gratitude, solidarity, admiration and support for the secretary-general."

"The representative from Algeria stated that the decision made by the Israeli authorities shows a clear disregard for the U.N. system and the international community as a whole. According to the representative, the Israeli authorities only recognize their own narrative and truth."

Some council members publicly supported Israel and criticized Iran for the attack, calling on Tehran to stop supporting terrorism through its proxies.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador, unequivocally condemned Iran's attack and called for additional sanctions against Tehran. She also explicitly linked Iran to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, stating that "Iran was complicit through its funding, training, capabilities, and support for the military wing of Hamas."

Thomas-Greenfield stated that the US sent a message to Iran following Hamas's attack a year ago, warning against exploiting the situation and causing a broader war in the region.

She continued, "The IRGC flagrantly and repeatedly ignored this warning by encouraging and enabling the Houthis in Yemen to disrupt global shipping and launch attacks against Israel by supporting militant groups in Syria and Iraq."

"Iran aimed to avenge the deaths of two IRGC-supported terrorist leaders and an IRGC commander by inflicting significant damage and death in Israel. However, thanks to close coordination between the United States and Israel, Iran was unable to achieve its objectives."

She emphasized that despite this outcome, the attack, aimed at causing significant death and destruction, represented a significant escalation by Iran.

The UK denounced Iran's attack and pledged "complete backing" for Israel in defending itself against Iranian aggression.

France called on Iran to refrain from any actions that could cause further instability and strongly condemned the attack on civilians in Jaffa.

"The French representative stated that the serious situation has resulted in civilian populations being the initial victims."

Iran argued that the Security Council has been unable to act due to US obstruction and accused France and the UK of enabling Israel's actions, claiming that they justify Israeli atrocities as self-defense and shift the blame onto Iran.

Reuters contributed to this report.