The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon said Monday after meeting the country’s foreign minister that they have “turned the page” over a court ruling issued over the weekend barring local and foreign media from interviewing the envoy over her comments regarding Hezbollah. A judge had ordered the year-long ban after U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea told Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath that Washington has “great concerns” over the Iran-backed militant group’s role in the government. Critics viewed her comments as foreign interference in Lebanese affairs, but the judge’s ruling was also harshly criticized by many in Lebanon, where the media enjoys far more freedom than in many other Arab states.
