US weighs sanctions on Lebanese judges over complaint against envoy for contacting Israeli ambassador after son wounded

The US State Department is weighing sanctions against Lebanese judges involved in handling a legal complaint against Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington over her reported contact with her Israeli counterpart following a car-ramming attack on his son in the West Bank, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

It remains undecided whether punitive measures would be imposed only if the complaint is not dismissed, or whether the mere consideration of the case could trigger them, the official tells The Times of Israel.

The complaint was filed against Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad after she allegedly contacted Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter to condemn the West Bank car ramming attack that left his son in critical condition — in an apparent violation of Lebanon’s laws forbidding direct contact with Israel.

It was filed with Lebanon’s top public prosecutor by Lebanese attorney Hassan Adel Bazzi following a September 27 report by the Beirut Review on the alleged interaction. Neither Washington nor Beirut had denied the report. The prosecutor referred the complaint to the military judicial authorities for consideration, according to the Beirut Review.

Earlier today, a US State Department spokesperson sharply condemned the “embarrassing” complaint in a statement, defending Moawad’s conduct while saying Bazzi is affiliated with Hezbollah and warning the military judiciary against supporting those working on the terror group’s “behalf.”

“We are aware of the complaint leveled by a pro-Hizballah lawyer against [Moawad.] 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 US-led negotiations,” the statement says.

“The Lebanese military judiciary should use its limited resources to prosecute Hizballah operatives plotting against the Lebanese government and people instead of those working on their behalf. Laws and practices that enable this kind of politicized targeting of civilians and diplomats, while systematically shielding Hizballah operatives, must be repealed. We have no patience for obstruction,” the statement continues.

While the complaint may ultimately be dismissed or shelved, the case has raised concerns that similar legal action could be taken against others involved in the ongoing US-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks, especially in light of Lebanon’s long history of political intimidation and assassinations.