'Israel' declares UN chief 'persona non grata' over Iran attack
The Israeli foreign minister has announced that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been declared "persona non grata" in "Israel", effectively banning him from entering the occupied territory.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been declared “persona non grata” in "Israel", effectively banning him from entering the occupation entity.
The Foreign Ministry claimed that this move was prompted by Guterres' response to a missile attack from Iran the previous night.
"Israel" said that Guterres failed to specifically name Iran and did not clearly condemn what it described as "grave aggression" in his statement. The Foreign Ministry further criticized Guterres for his policies during the ongoing war, accusing him of supporting "terrorists, rapists, and murderers" from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Ansar Allah and now backing "the mothership of global terror, Iran."
This comes shortly after Guterres called for an immediate end to the escalating violence in the Middle East. In a statement on Tuesday, he condemned the growing scale of the war, marked by continuous escalations. "This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire," Guterres emphasized.
I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 1, 2024
This must stop.
We absolutely need a ceasefire.
In a related context, the United Nations voiced deep concern on Monday over the deteriorating situation in Lebanon as Israeli attacks intensify, underscoring its opposition to "Israel's" reported plans for a ground invasion of the country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian consequences of the events that are unfolding in Lebanon," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing.
Dujarric emphasized Guterres' call for all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to pursue de-escalation while highlighting the importance of enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Iran's True Promise 2: Hundreds of missiles launched on Israeli bases
Dozens of missiles have reportedly hit their designated target, with reports indicating that over 400 missiles and projectiles had been launched from Iran toward the occupied Palestinian territories.
The IRGC released a statement following the launch of the response, saying "We have targeted the heart of the occupied territories in response to the assassination of martyrs Haniyeh, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Nilforooshian."
The statement further said, warning "Israel", "If the Zionist regime retaliates to the Iranian operation, it will face violent consequences."
Israeli reports, on the other hand, indicate that somewhere in the ballpark of 300 rockets had been launched from Iran.
Operation True Promise 2
The IRGC's operation has been declared "Operation True Promise 2", after its antecedent "Operation True Promise", during which an unprecedented drone and missile attack was launched at "Israel" from Iran in April, in response to the Israeli assassination of its officials and aggression on its embassy in Damascus.
In a second statement, the IRGC confirmed that three military bases in Tel Aviv were targeted: Nevatim, Hatzerim, and the Tel Nof Airbase.
In detail, the Nevatim base houses the F-35 fighter jets, and the Hatzerim base houses the F-15 fighter jets used to assassinate Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The IRGC affirmed that the latter was targeted in response to the assassination of Hezbollah's martyred leader.
Additionally, at least 90% of Iran's ballistic missiles and projectiles launched from its first wave toward occupied Palestinian territories struck their targets, according to the IRGC's second statement.
The attack also successfully hit gas platforms near the occupied city of Askalan, according to Tasnim News Agency