It would be recalled that Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.

Guterres had on Tuesday issued a brief statement after the missile attack condemning “the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation.”

Following Guterres’ assertion, Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz said Guterres’ failure to call out Iran made him persona non grata 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,” Katz said.

Asked to react to the development, U.S. State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller said: “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,” Miller added.

U.N. Responds to Israel’s Ban

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the announcement as political and “just one more attack, so to speak, on U.N. staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel.”

He said the U.N. traditionally does not recognise the concept of persona non grata as applying to U.N. staff.Meanwhile, during a security council meeting on Wednesday, 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.”

Global Leaders Urge De-Escalation

World leaders called on Iran and Israel to step back from the brink after Tehran fired a barrage of rockets at its arch-rival.

Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters on Wednesday engaged in fighting on the ground in southern Lebanon, after Iran launched its largest-ever attack on Israel Tuesday.

The Israeli military said eight soldiers were killed in combat on Wednesday, according to CNN.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission on Wednesday advised Nigerians living in Lebanon to consider leaving the country as hostility between the warring countries escalated.

NiDCOM’s Spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in a statement, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the fact that commercial flights were still operating, allowing for a safe exit.

“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 condemned the escalating violence.

The Chinese authority called on the international community, especially major influential powers, “to truly play a constructive role and prevent the situation from further deteriorating,” according to a foreign ministry spokesman in a statement published online.

“This situation is developing by the most worrying scenario,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said on Wednesday, adding, “We call all sides towards restraint and we condemn any acts that could lead to the death of the civilian population.”

Hours earlier, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced what she said was the “complete failure” of United States President Joe Biden’