Lebanon denies judicial action against its ambassador in Washington

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry denied on Wednesday reports of judicial action against Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamada Moawad, stressing that any judicial measure against a public employee requires the approval of the competent minister, and that the ambassador's mandate comes from the president in agreement with the prime minister. The administration of US President Donald Trump criticized the complaint against the ambassador, considering it aimed at obstructing Washington's efforts to boost communications between Lebanon and Israel. The US State Department said it was embarrassing for a military court to consider a complaint against the ambassador merely for implementing her government's policy and taking part in US-led negotiations. A Lebanese lawyer had filed a complaint against Moawad with the Public Prosecution Office, accusing her of contacting Israeli ambassador Yehiel Leiter to congratulate him on his son's safety after he was injured in a car-ramming accident in the occupied West Bank. Moawad and Leiter are taking part in US-mediated talks to improve relations between the two countries, which remain officially at war.