Israel declared UN Chief Antonio 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 Huthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come”.

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 a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

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

Heavy floods in Yemen due to heavy rains led to the collapse of three dams in the north-western province of al-Mahwit, killing several people and leaving at least 30 missing.

The residents in the areas told reporters on Wednesday.

They could not confirm the casualty toll.

Many families remained under the rubble in the Malhan district.

Cars were swept away and roads have been cut off, they added.

The collapsing dams caused mountain rockslides, affecting people and houses in the province, located near the capital Sana’a.

The province is controlled by the Houthi rebels, who took control of large parts of Yemen in 2014.

The Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV reported that several ambulances from neighbouring areas in al-Mahwit as well as Hodeida province were sent to assist.

Heavy rains and floods have been hitting Yemen for weeks, causing destruction and displacement in several provinces, and exacerbating an already dire situation in the war-torn country.

The Yemen Red Crescent Society said that more than 340,000 people have been directly affected by the heavy rains and flooding nationwide.

Two weeks ago, the UN said that at least 60 people were killed in several provinces.

Yemen has been embroiled in a disastrous power struggle since 2014 between government forces, supported by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, and the Iran-linked Houthi rebels.

The war has taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure in the already impoverished country and the UN considers Yemen one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.

Floods hit the country almost annually, leaving many dead or displaced.

Although conflict declined over the past two years, no sustainable political settlement has been reached.

U.S. President Joe Biden has sharply criticised the 16-year sentence for U.S reporter Evan Gershkovich, imposed on Friday by a Russian court.

According to the president, Gershkovich was targeted by Russia “because he is a journalist and an American.”

Biden, in a statement released by the White House, said the reporter had “committed no crime.”

He added that the U.S. government will continue to fight for the Wall Street Journal reporter’s release as well as for all U.S. citizens unlawfully detained abroad.

“Journalism is not a crime,” Biden said, adding that both he and the United Nations have said that Russia is wrongfully detaining the reporter.

“We will continue to stand strong for press freedom in Russia and worldwide, and stand against all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists,” the U.S. president added.

(dpa/NAN)