Tel Aviv, Israel - Israel declared UN chief António Guterres "persona non grata" on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran's missile attack on Israel.

"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.

"This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers," he said.

Katz added that Guterres, who he said supported the "murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come".

Israel-Gaza War Israel launches ground invasion of Lebanon as US drops all ceasefire pretenses

Following Iran's missile attack on Israel late Tuesday, Guterres condemned the "broadening conflict in the Middle East," slamming "escalation after escalation" in the region.

"This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire," said Guterres.

Israel has been raging at the UN for decades, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent destruction of Gaza, which has led to a torrent of war crimes accusations.

Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to halt the fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon.