US Ambassador Summoned By Lebanese Foreign Minister Over Hezbollah Comments

The incident around the US Ambassador to Lebanon and judge Mohammad Mazeh has sparked a storm of controversy, making the news locally and internationally.

Judge Mazeh issued a decision against US Ambassador Dorothy Shea on the background of her recent interview with Al-Hadath TV, during which she responded to accusations by Hezbollah’s Secretary-General that Lebanon’s financial crisis is a plot by the United States.

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The Lebanese government apologized to the American ambassador in #Beirut, Mrs. #Dorothy_Shea after one of the judges in southern Lebanon, affiliated with the (Lebanese terrorist group #Hezbollah), the judge #Mohammed_AlMazeh, put restrictions on American diplomats speaking to the local media in #Lebanon 🇱🇧 After Ms. Shea criticized to the Lebanese #LBCI channel Hezbollah's terrorist group policies It should be mentioned here that Mrs. Shea also said that the ruling political class isn't expressing the popular aspirations that want to unify efforts instead of division and division at a time when Lebanon surviving an existential crisis of course, Hezbollah's response was that Mrs. Shea was speaking to the Lebanese people in the form of an American delegate or general governor on the basis that the terrorist group Hezbollah doesn't speak in the same form as a representative of #Iran 🇮🇷 (Of course, Ms. Shea was right in what she said, for a simple reason that American aid to Lebanon, whether it's to the army, the leadership, or the government) for reasons also related to the ruling political class being non-existent and far from any Lebanese Mrs. Dorothy lives in Beirut, and neither Hizbullah nor AlAhd coalition can harm the ambassador, nor even her country's staff the Lebanese state apologizes for knowing that, if not for the American presence is being there, #Khamenei would now impose his control not only on #Baabda_Palace, but also on the entire Lebanese state.

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She described the party as “a designated terrorist organization” and stated that her country has “grave concerns” about its role.

“It has siphoned off billions of dollars that should have gone into government coffers so that the government can provide basic services to its people,” she said, adding that “it has obstructed some of the economic reforms the Lebanese economy so desperately needs.”

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🇱🇧 #Nasrallah says #Lebanon should not observe #US sanctions on #Syria. The head of #Hezbollah said on Tuesday that Lebanon should not observe the new #sanctions imposed by the #UnitedStates on Syria, describing them as deeply hurtful to his country. He blamed the US for Lebanon's #dollar shortage saying that #Wshington is preventing foreign currency from coming into Lebanon and called it "a national #security issue," no longer an #economic one only. Nasrallah further stated that Lebanon would be deeply hurt if it respects the new sanctions known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, saying that Syria is Lebanon's only land #route to the #world and this way #trade would be harmed. He suggested that the US plan is to steer away Lebanon from Syria and make it turn to #Israel. #MiddleEast #news #newspaper #media #economy #crisis

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Based on her statements, which judge Mazeh deemed “inciting” and “offensive to some Lebanese people,” he issued a ruling banning media outlets, local and foreign media working in Lebanon, from airing or publishing her comments.

In order for his decision to take effect, however, “it must be adopted by the Ministry of Information,” Judge Mazeh told The Washington Post.

From her side, Information Minister Manal Abdel-Samad responded to the announcement of the judge’s decision, stating that “no one has the right to ban media from carrying news or limit its media freedom.”

To note, Al-Hadath TV is not a Lebanese media platform. It is owned by the Saudi news media Al-Arabia and is based in Dubai, UAE.

After her first response to the decision via MTV Lebanon, Ambassador Shea expressed via LBC Lebanon that the backlash she received was surprising, especially because “there was nothing new” in what she had stated.

Speaking of the judge’s decision, she said that she received “assurances from the Lebanese government” in regard to this “inappropriate judgment.”

“Trying to use an active judge or court decision to silence the media and to silence me, and to deny the Lebanese people freedom of expression and freedom of the media is ridiculous,” the ambassador added.

However, despite her statement indicating that she has the Lebanese government on her side, she is now being summoned by the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nassif Hitti for a meeting on Monday at 3:00 pm.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Minister Hitti intends to raise the matter of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

That law specifies that “an ambassador has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of another country and should not incite the [Lebanese] people against one another.”

That stance was openly reflected by President Aoun on Sunday during an interview with Al-Mayadeen.

“The Americans are directly interfering in the Lebanese domestic affairs; and this is unacceptable,” he said. The president went on to emphasize that Hezbollah “represents the Lebanese society and enjoys popularity among people,” reported AFP.

According to the same source, Lebanon’s president “cautioned the US envoy over making more caustic remarks against the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.”