Security Council Supports UN Leader Following Criticism from Israel
The UN Security Council has expressed its backing for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres following Israel's decision to prohibit his entry into the country. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Jewish state has declared Antonio Guterres persona non grata due to his failure to promptly condemn Iran's missile attack.
In response, the UN Security Council has expressed its backing for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel barred him from entering the country. The council urged all UN member states to maintain a “productive and effective relationship” with the secretary-general and to “refrain from any actions that undermine his work.”
“The members of the Security Council affirmed their full support for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his important role and that of the wider UN,” the statement reads, emphasizing that “any decision not to engage with the UN Secretary General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.”
On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced Guterres as persona non grata, accusing the UN chief of failing to condemn the “abhorrent attack” carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps the previous day.
Tehran launched approximately 200 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the Jewish state's bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon and the recent killings of senior officials from Hamas and Hezbollah by the Israel Defense Forces.
Following the rebuke from West Jerusalem, Guterres, who had condemned both Israel and Hezbollah during months of cross-border violence, condemned the Iranian missile strike and urged both parties to halt the “deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence.”
Israel had earlier conducted a ground assault against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This operation, along with intense airstrikes, targets stopping the cross-border rocket and mortar fire from Hezbollah, as stated by the IDF.
Tensions along Israel’s northern border surged nearly a year ago when West Jerusalem initiated an invasion of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza in retaliation for a deadly attack from Hamas in southern Israel. Hezbollah has expressed support for the Palestinians and declared it would only cease cross-border rocket attacks once a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel aims to “eliminate” Hamas entirely and has consistently disregarded calls from the U.S., its primary ally, for a ceasefire.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
In response, the UN Security Council has expressed its backing for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel barred him from entering the country. The council urged all UN member states to maintain a “productive and effective relationship” with the secretary-general and to “refrain from any actions that undermine his work.”
“The members of the Security Council affirmed their full support for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his important role and that of the wider UN,” the statement reads, emphasizing that “any decision not to engage with the UN Secretary General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.”
On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced Guterres as persona non grata, accusing the UN chief of failing to condemn the “abhorrent attack” carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps the previous day.
Tehran launched approximately 200 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the Jewish state's bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon and the recent killings of senior officials from Hamas and Hezbollah by the Israel Defense Forces.
Following the rebuke from West Jerusalem, Guterres, who had condemned both Israel and Hezbollah during months of cross-border violence, condemned the Iranian missile strike and urged both parties to halt the “deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence.”
Israel had earlier conducted a ground assault against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This operation, along with intense airstrikes, targets stopping the cross-border rocket and mortar fire from Hezbollah, as stated by the IDF.
Tensions along Israel’s northern border surged nearly a year ago when West Jerusalem initiated an invasion of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza in retaliation for a deadly attack from Hamas in southern Israel. Hezbollah has expressed support for the Palestinians and declared it would only cease cross-border rocket attacks once a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel aims to “eliminate” Hamas entirely and has consistently disregarded calls from the U.S., its primary ally, for a ceasefire.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
