The United Nations Secretary-General has condemned the Iranian missile strikes on Israel, following his ban from the country due to his initial remarks on the conflict. In a meeting with the UN Security Council, António Guterres called for an end to the “deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence” in the Middle East. This came after Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, declared Guterres persona non grata, labeling him as an “anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists.” Katz’s comments were in response to Guterres’ earlier call for a ceasefire that did not explicitly address the Iranian attacks.
In his address to the council, Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the missile attack in April and remarked, “I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel.” He pointed out that such attacks do not aid the Palestinian cause nor alleviate their suffering. Additionally, he criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza, describing them as “the most deadly and destructive military campaign in my years as secretary-general.”
On Tuesday, Iran launched approximately 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, with Israeli forces reporting that most were intercepted. Following the attack, Guterres expressed his disapproval on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, condemning the “broadening of the Middle East conflict” characterized by ongoing escalations. Katz previously stated that anyone who cannot openly denounce Iran’s attack does not deserve to enter Israel, specifically criticizing Guterres for his perceived anti-Israel stance since the onset of the conflict. The recent Iranian attack adds to a series of escalations that began nearly a year ago with assaults on Israel by Hamas, which have also involved increased violence from Iran-backed Hezbollah.