Shea Says Judge Ruling against Her 'Unhelpful and Unnecessary'

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Sunday described the judicial ruling issued against her by Judge Mohammed Mazeh and the controversy surrounding it as a “tempest in a teapot.”

Speaking in an interview with LBCI television, Shea said the ruling carried an “element of defensiveness,” describing it as “unhelpful and unnecessary.”

Shea also reiterated that she has been given “assurances from the Government of Lebanon that appropriate action is being taken to reverse this inappropriate ruling.”

During an interview with Saudi-owned news channel Al-Hadath aired on Friday, Shea had said that the United States has "grave concerns about the role of Hizbullah, a designated terrorist organization."

On Saturday, Judge Mohammed Mazeh in the southern city of Tyre said he acted after receiving a complaint from a citizen who considered Shea's comments "insulting to the Lebanese people."

The order he issued bans local and foreign media working in the country from airing or publishing locally comments by the U.S. ambassador for a year.