U.S. blasts “embarrassing” complaint filed against Lebanon’s ambassador

October 14, 2026 / 12:04 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Trump administration sharply criticized a legal complaint filed in Lebanon against the country's ambassador to Washington over her reported outreach to her Israeli counterpart, accusing Hezbollah-linked actors of seeking to obstruct U.S.-led efforts to foster diplomatic contacts between the two countries.

The complaint against Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad was filed with Lebanon's military judiciary by a lawyer the U.S. described as "pro-Hizbollah," in response to a report in Lebanese media that Moawad contacted Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter after his son was seriously injured in a car-ramming terror attack in the West Bank last month.

"It is embarrassing that a military court is handling a complaint against the Lebanese Ambassador in Washington for carrying out the policy of their legitimate government and engaging in U.S.-led negotiations," a State Department spokesperson told CBS News late Tuesday, in an unusually pointed statement.

The two diplomats have been participating in U.S.-brokered talks aimed at improving relations between Israel and Lebanon — an effort that has faced resistance from Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington in April, with the Israeli and Lebanese…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/