TEL AVIV /PNN/

Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "persona non grata" in Israel and banned him from entering the country, claiming that he did not "categorically" condemn Iran's missile attack on Israel.

In a statement issued by the occupation's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, he considered that "anyone who is unable to categorically condemn Iran's attack on Israel is not worthy of stepping on Israeli soil. This is a Secretary-General who hates Israel and has given support to terrorists. Guterres will be remembered as an eternal stain on the history of the United Nations."

The statement said that "Israel will continue to defend its citizens and maintain its status with or without Antonio Guterres."