Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, declared on Wednesday, October 2, that the country has prohibited United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering Israel due to his failure to ‘unequivocally’ condemn Iran’s missile attack on the nation.
It’s important to note that on Tuesday, October 1, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel, coinciding with an intensification of clashes between Israel and the Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On the same day, Guterres released a short statement condemning ‘the widening of the Middle East conflict, marked by one escalation after another.’
In response to Guterres statement, Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, declared that Guterres failure to condemn Iran made him unwelcome in Israel.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.
“Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres,” he said.
When asked to respond to the situation, the United States (U.S) State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “steps like these are not productive to Israel improving its standing in the world.”
“The U.N does incredibly important work in Gaza.
“It does incredibly important work in the region.
“And the U.N, when it’s acting at its best, can play an important role for security and stability,” he added.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric characterized the announcement as politically motivated, calling it ‘yet another assault, so to speak, on U.N. personnel by the Israeli government.’
He stated that the U.N. traditionally does not acknowledge the idea of persona non grata as relevant to its staff.
Meanwhile, during a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, October 3, Guterres said, “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.”
World leaders urged Iran and Israel to de-escalate tensions after Tehran launched a large-scale rocket attack on its longtime rival.
Israeli forces clashed with Hezbollah fighters supported by Iran in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, October 2, following Iran’s most significant assault on Israel on Tuesday, October 1.
The Israeli military reported that eight soldiers died in combat on Wednesday, October 2.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Wednesday, October 2, urged Nigerians residing in Lebanon to think about leaving the country as tensions between the conflicting nations intensified.
NiDCOM’s spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that Nigerians should take advantage of the ongoing commercial flights to ensure a safe departure.
“Worried by the attacks on Hezbollah and other areas in Lebanon by the Israeli government, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission is hereby advising Nigerians resident in Lebanon to consider moving out of the country now that commercial flights are still in operation.
“Though information from the Nigerian community in Lebanon indicated that most Nigerians have relocated from the southern part and are now relatively safe, we hereby advise them to keep safe until the ceasefire is in place,” the statement read in part.
World leaders have denounced the rising violence.
The Chinese government urged the international community particularly major influential nations to genuinely take on a constructive role and prevent the situation from worsening.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said, “this situation is developing by the most worrying scenario.”
He added that, “we call all sides towards restraint and we condemn any acts that could lead to the death of the civilian population.”
Pope Francis also called for a day of prayer for peace on October 7, the anniversary of Hamas assault on Israel.
U.S President, Joe Biden directed the U.S military to assist Israel in defending against Iranian attacks and to intercept missiles aimed at Israel.
U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken described the attack as ‘completely unacceptable.’
“Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack,” he said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the Iranian attacks and urged an end to the ‘spiral of violence’ affecting the Middle East.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Albares said, “Madrid is issuing a new call to all the actors, obviously including Israel, to show restraint and not escalation.”
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Iran’s attacks on Israel in the strongest possible terms, stating that France had mobilized its military resources in the Middle East to counter Tehran.
He also called for Hezbollah to stop its terrorist actions against Israel and its citizens, while urging Israel to halt its military operations as soon as possible.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Iran’s attack in the strongest possible terms.
In a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, he also reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s (UK) unwavering commitment to Israeli security and the protection of civilians.
Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba described the missile strikes by Iran on Israel as ‘unacceptable.’
“We will condemn this strongly, but at the same time, we would like to cooperate with the United States to defuse the situation and prevent it from escalating into a full-on war,” he said.
Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles in the assault on Tuesday, October 1, claiming it was a response to the killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Iran’s military chief warned of more extensive strikes if Israel retaliates.
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