Israel Criticizes UN Leader for Denying Its Self-Defense Rights

Israel’s Foreign Ministry sharply rebuked U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday for failing to recognize Israel’s right to self-defense following repeated Houthi attacks. The criticism came after Guterres condemned Israeli retaliatory airstrikes in Yemen but refrained from addressing the terrorist aggression against Israel that preceded them.

“This is unbelievable. Just read the text of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ statement,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Can you think of a country that is conspicuously missing from the paragraph that describes the Houthis’ attacks? Mr. Secretary-General, why can’t you utter the word ‘Israel’ when it comes to terror attacks?”

Marmorstein detailed the gravity of the situation, stating, “Israel has been attacked hundreds of times by Houthi terrorists. Millions of Israelis are being terrorized by Houthi missile attacks every night. All of these attacks on Israel were unprovoked and carried out by terrorists operating 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) away from Israel.”

The criticism followed Guterres’ statement expressing concern about the escalation in Yemen and Israel, in which he highlighted civilian casualties from Israeli airstrikes but made no mention of the over 200 missiles and 170 drones launched at Israel by the Iranian-backed Houthis since October 2023. The attacks were described as being in “solidarity” with Hamas after its invasion of southern Israel on October 7.

“The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and reiterates his call for all parties concerned to cease all military actions and exercise utmost restraint,” the U.N. statement read.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli Air Force carried out its largest operation in Yemen to date, targeting sites including Sanaa International Airport. These strikes were a direct response to intensified Houthi missile and drone attacks, which recently hit Israel’s densely populated central region.

Israel’s condemnation of the U.N. comes amidst growing frustration over perceived international double standards when addressing its security challenges. “Secretary-General Guterres couldn’t bring himself to mention that the State of Israel and its citizens have been relentlessly attacked by the Houthis and that Israel was acting in self-defense. What a disgrace,” Marmorstein concluded.

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