WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) — The U.S. State Department sharply criticized a complaint filed in Lebanon against the country’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, after reports that she contacted Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter to inquire about his son, who was critically wounded in a terrorist ramming attack.

A State Department spokesperson said the United States was aware of the complaint, filed by a lawyer described as affiliated with Hezbollah. The spokesperson called it embarrassing that a military court was reviewing the matter against Moawad, noting that she had been carrying out the policy of Lebanon’s legitimate government and taking part in U.S.-led negotiations.

The department urged Lebanon’s military justice system to direct its limited resources toward prosecuting Hezbollah operatives allegedly plotting against the Lebanese government and its citizens, rather than officials working on the state’s behalf. It also called for the repeal of laws and procedures that, in Washington’s view, enable the political targeting of citizens and diplomats while shielding Hezbollah members. “We have no patience for obstruction,” the spokesperson said.

The complaint was submitted by Lebanese lawyer Hassan Adel Bazzi following September reports, including in Beirut Review, that Moawad had reached out to Leiter about the condition of his son. Lebanese authorities referred the complaint to the government commissioner at the military court for review. Lebanese media and judicial sources have described the referral as a routine procedural step that does not itself amount to a formal charge or investigation.

Some Lebanese reporting has disputed the precise nature of any contact between the ambassadors, with one outlet stating that communications have remained within the established trilateral framework.

Neria Leiter, an Israeli reservist and son of the ambassador, was seriously injured in late September when a Palestinian assailant rammed a vehicle into security personnel at a checkpoint on Route 443 in the West Bank. He suffered severe head injuries, underwent extended brain surgery, and has remained in critical condition at a Jerusalem hospital. The attacker was shot and killed at the scene. Ambassador Leiter’s older son was killed while serving in Gaza in 2023.

Moawad and Leiter have been central figures in U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel aimed at addressing security arrangements and related issues. The two countries remain technically in a state of war.