UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has denounced the Iranian missile attack on Israel, after West Jerusalem slammed him for failing to do so and publicly declared him persona non grata.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a barrage of rockets at Israel on Tuesday, calling it a response to the recent Israeli killings of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah.
”As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April, and this should have been obvious yesterday, in the context of the condemnation I expressed, I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attacks by Iran on Israel,” Guterres told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
Guterres condemned both Israel and Hezbollah for months of cross-border attacks that violated Lebanese sovereignty and called for an immediate ceasefire.
“It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation,” the UN secretary-general said. “This deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop. Time is running out.”
His comments came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz denounced the UN chief for failing to “unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack” and claimed Guterres has “yet to denounce the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on October 7,” or to declare the Palestinian group a terrorist organization.
Katz went on to accuse Guterres of being “a stain on the history of the UN” and of backing Hamas, Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis and Iran.
The UN does not recognize the concept of persona non grata for its staff, the secretary-general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday. He described the Israeli announcement as political and “just one more attack, so to speak, on UN staff.”
The US and Russia found themselves united in criticism of Israel’s move. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller criticized the Israeli announcement during the daily briefing, saying that such steps are “not productive” or helpful to West Jerusalem’s standing in the world.
“The UN does incredibly important work in Gaza. It does incredibly important work in the region. And the UN, when it’s acting at its best, can play an important role for security and stability,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that the Israeli move effectively excludes the UN from regulating the conflict.
“We see the Israeli point of view, which says that Israel does not allow any role for the UN. Indeed, the situation is extremely tense in the region, we call on everyone to exercise restraint,” Peskov said.