Israel blocks UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres from entering the country

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday banned United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres from entering the Middle Eastern country, claiming he was “undesirable” because he failed to unequivocally condemn Iran.

Tensions between the two countries heightened this week, after Iran launched a series of over 100 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, which came after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon last week.

Guterres issued a short statement on the escalation, which did not mention Iran's bombing and only condemned the widening of the conflict in the Middle East.

"I decided today to declare UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres an undesirable personality in Israel and to ban his entry into Israel," Katz posted to X. "Anyone who is unable to unequivocally condemn Iran's criminal attack on Israel, as almost all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israel's soil."

The foreign minister blasted Guterres for not condemning the Oct. 7 massacre by the terrorist organization Hamas, and also claimed he has not declared Hamas a terrorist organization.

"Israel will continue to protect its citizens and maintain its status and national honor with or without Antonio Guterres," he added.

Guterres did condemn the attack during a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, claiming he thought it was clear in the brief statement on the day of the attack.

"As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April - and as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed - I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel," he said, Reuters reported.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.