Israel slams UN chief for failing to act on Hezbollah

Israel's defense minister has accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of failing to prevent Hezbollah attacks on Israel after the U.N. chief said Lebanon was becoming a "nightmare" like Gaza following Israeli air strikes.

"Mr Secretary General, the nightmare you speak of, is in fact a reality," Yoav Gallant said in a response to Guterres on X, adding "the reality is that Hezbollah has taken Lebanon hostage, and the U.N. is neither acknowledging their actions, nor fulfilling its fundamental obligation -- preventing Hezbollah attacks and demanding the implementation of Resolution 1701".

It came after Guterres told the U.N. General Assembly in New York: "Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon".