Israel declares UN chief 'persona non grata'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to retaliatory violence in the Middle East during an address to the organization's Security Council.

It comes after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel following Israeli strikes on Lebanon, with Israel saying it is targeting the Iran-supported Hezbollah militant group.

"I again strongly condemn yesterday's massive missile attack by Iran on Israel," Guterres said, adding that the "deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop."

"It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff," he said. "Each escalation has served as a pretext for the next."

He called for a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and the immediate release of all hostages held by Palestinian militant groups, as well as "irreversible progress" towards a two-state solution in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Guterres said that he condemned attacks on civilians, adding that over 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since October 2023.

The secretary-general called for the UN's UNIFIL peacekeeping force to remain in southern Lebanon and called for the security and safety of UN personnel to be ensured. He said that Israel had requested the peacekeeping force be "relocated."

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced he was barring Guterres from entering the country over what he described as the UN chief's failure to specifically condemn Iran's recent missile attack on Israel.

Katz also accused Guterres of supporting Iran and Tehran-supported militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Germany Interior Minister Nancy Faeser criticized anti-Israel street rallies, where people appeared to celebrate news of Iran's large-scale missile attack on Israel on Tuesday evening.

A protest already underway on the streets of Berlin, not long after Israel said its troops had begun limited operations in Lebanon, broke out into cheers amid news of the Iranian attack on Israel, with many wearing Palestinian scarves and some waving Lebanese flags.

"I am filled with consternation and angry that such a form of violence is being celebrated," Faeser told journalists. "Any act that glorifies and supports Hamas or Hezbollah in Germany is punishable, even on the streets," she added.

Faeser warned that police would crack down on demonstrations who support Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"Propaganda for these terrorists can be consistently prosecuted. In my view, we need crystal-clear stop signs here," she said.

Faeser added that German security services were closely monitoring for "possible effects" on the security situation in Germany, adding that "the threat posed by Islamist, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel acts is high."

The German Foreign Office summoned Iran's ambassador to condemn Tuesday's attack on Israel "in the strongest possible terms," a Foreign Office spokesman said in Berlin on Wednesday.

Germany called on Iran to desist from any further attacks, either by itself or by its allies.

Since the ambassador was not in Berlin at the time, the message was relayed to Iran's chargé d'affaires, the spokesman said.

Regarding the issue of further sanctions on Iran, the spokesman said there was an "entire range of measures" that was being explored. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock plans to coordinate measures with her counterparts from the US, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, the spokesman said. 

G7 foreign ministers are expected to hold a conference call to discuss the attack on Wednesday.

Russia has called on all parties to the Middle East conflict to exercise restraint. Moscow also said it condemned all attacks against civilians.

"Of course we condemn all actions that lead to the death of civilians," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies on Wednesday.

Russia said the situation in the Middle East was developing "according to the most alarming scenario."

"We have our contacts with all sides in this conflict, we are continuing to maintain our contacts and call on all sides to exercise restraint," Peskov said.

Peskov did not directly criticize Iran for the missile attack on Israel on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine's foreign minister had reported six deaths in Russian shelling of a market in the city of Kherson near the front lines.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) leaders to discuss the tensions in the Middle East.

Meloni's office said it was coordinating the virtual meeting, which would take place later on Wednesday.

"Italy will continue to work for a diplomatic solution, also in its capacity as rotating president of the G7. I have called a meeting at leader level for this afternoon," she told ministers.

Meloni told her Cabinet that there was "deep concern" about the latest developments, including Iran's missile attack against Israel, her office said. Meloni also spoke about instability in Lebanon.

"The goal is the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the full implementation of Resolution 1701," she said in reference to the UN resolution that put a stop to the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in south Lebanon.

"In this framework, Italy has called on the UN Security Council to consider strengthening the mandate of the UNIFIL mission in order to ensure the security of the Israel-Lebanon border," Meloni added.

Italy is a major contributor to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington D.C., has told DW the recent missile strikes by Iran against Israel differed notably from previous ones in scale and timing. 

"This attack literally doubled the scale and the scope of the previous attack," Taleblu said, noting that the strike included "about 181 publicly reported medium-range ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory directly at Israel."

An April attack by Iran on Israel used about 300 projectiles but far fewer medium-range ballistic missiles.

When asked about Israel's potential response, Taleblu noted that despite having advanced air defense systems, Iran's ability to intercept Israeli attacks remained limited.

"The chances of a successful aerial interception by the Islamic Republic of Iran is pretty much close to nil," he said. 

Taleblu also mentioned that Israel's retaliation could target a wide range of Iranian facilities, including nuclear sites, missile programs, and proxy forces across the region.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has barred UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country, accusing him of bias against Israel. 

Katz declared Guterres "persona non grata" following what he described as the UN chief's failure to specifically condemn Iran's recent missile attack on Israel. 

Guterres issued a brief statement on Tuesday in which he condemned the conflict "with escalation after escalation" and referred to "the latest attacks in the Middle East.

"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," Katz said, calling Guterres "an anti-Israel secretary-general."

Katz accused Guterres of supporting groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, which he called the "mothership of global terror." 

The decision has further deepened the rift between Israel and the United Nations.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said the UK armed forces had "played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation" when Iran fired missiles toward Israel.

"The UK stands fully behind Israel's right to defend its country and its people against threats," Healey said.

British media reported that UK fighter pilots based in Cyprus had assisted Israel during Iran's Tuesday night attack, just as they did in April when Iran last targeted Israel with missiles.

Healey is due to visit the UK's Cyprus base on Wednesday, where troops are preparing for the possibility of evacuating British citizens from Lebanon.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has joined the chorus of leaders slamming Iran's attack on Israel, saying she condemned it "in the strongest terms."

"Such actions threaten regional stability and escalate tensions in an already extremely volatile situation," she said.

Von der Leyen then called attention to the civilians caught in the crossfire, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Israel.

"I urge all parties to protect the life of innocent civilians," she said. "The European Union continues to call for a cease-fire across the border with Lebanon, and in Gaza, and for the release of all hostages that are held since almost a year."

The Israeli military has expanded its call for people in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes. 

"Be careful, you must not go south. Any southward movement may put you in danger," spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on social media, saying residents in an additional 24 towns and villages should flee in order to avoid shelling.

The call came a day after Israeli announced the launch of ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Many of the villages are in a UN-mandated buffer zone that was declared in 2006 after the last war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon have already fled their homes amid the recent escalation.

 Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have said they launched cruise missiles at targets "deep inside" Israel on Wednesday.

In a statement, the group said they had "carried out a military operation targeting military sites deep inside the Zionist entity (Israel) in occupied Palestine with three Quds 5 cruise missiles." 

There was no immediate confirmation of the attack by the Israeli military, though the Houthis claimed the missiles had hit their intended targets.

The Houthis and the Israeli military have sporadically traded fire since last November, when the Yemeni militants began attacking shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in what they say is support for Palestinians in Gaza.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Iran and Hezbollah to stop their attacks on Israel "immediately." 

"The Iranian missile attacks on Israel are to be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said in a statement.

"There's a risk of a further escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East. Iran risks setting the entire region on fire — this must be prevented at all costs. Hezbollah and Iran must stop their attacks on Israel immediately." 

Scholz used the opportunity to press for a truce, saying: "Together with our partners, we will continue to work to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah."

The chancellor also highlighted the upcoming anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, adding that "a few days before the anniversary of Hamas' terrible attack on Israel, our thoughts are with the hostages and their families. Their fate must be an incentive for everyone to reach an agreement based on the proposals made by US President [Joe] Biden."

Earlier this year, Biden outlined a plan that would halt the fighting while allowing the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of more aid to Gaza.

Hezbollah has claimed that it fought with Israeli troops who tried to encroach on Lebanese territory and pushed them back.

The Iran-backed militant group said they encountered "an Israeli enemy infantry force that tried to infiltrate into the village of Adaisseh ... and clashed with them ... and forced them to withdraw," a statement read.

Hezbollah also claimed to have targeted "a large infranty force" across the Israeli border in Misgav Am with "rockets and artillery."

These claims have not been confirmed by Israel or independently verified.

Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri warned that Tehran would target "all infrastucture" in Israel if its territory is attacked.

Speaking on state television, Bagheri said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard was prepared to continue missile attacks with "multiplied intensity."

His comments came after Iran fired around 200 missiles at Israel late on Tuesday.

He said if Israel "is not contained by America and Europe and intends to continue such crimes, or do anything against our sovereignty or territorial integrity, tonight's operation will be repeated with much higher magnitude and we will hit all their infrastructure."

Bagheri added that Iran had avoided targeting Israeli civilians although it was "completely feasible."

French President Emmanuel Macron put out a statement condemning Iran's new attacks on Israel in the "strongest possible terms."

Macron urged that "Hezbollah cease its terrorist actions against Israel and its population" and asked Israel to end its military operations as soon as possible. 

He also added that France had "mobilized" its military resources in the Middle East to counter Tehran.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also condemned Iran's attacks on Israel, and said they were "unacceptable."

"We will condemn this strongly. But at the same time, we would like to cooperate (with the US) to defuse the situation and prevent it from escalating into a full-on war," he said, after a phone call with US President Joe Biden.