Son of Israeli Ambassador to US Critically Injured in West Bank Terror Attack

Neria Leiter, the son of Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, was critically wounded in a Palestinian car-ramming attack on Route 443 near Beit Horon on September 23. He was subsequently transported to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Information regarding his identity was cleared for publication that evening. Following the incident, Yehiel Leiter departed the U.S. for Israel. The attack occurred on Route 443 between Beit Horon and the Makabim checkpoint, where the assailant drove a vehicle towards a police car, striking a soldier. Security forces present at the scene returned fire, neutralizing the attacker. Additional police and IDF units were dispatched to the location, and the circumstances of the attack are under investigation.

Neria Leiter is the brother of Moshe Yedidya Leiter, a reserve major who was killed in November 2023 during fighting in northern Gaza. Their father, Yehiel Leiter, is slated to assume the role of Israel's ambassador to the U.S. in January 2025. According to Channel 12, upon learning of his son's severe injuries, the diplomat flew to Israel. Earlier reports indicated that an IDF reservist sustained serious injuries in a car-ramming attack at the Makabim checkpoint in the Binyamin region while engaged in joint operational activity with the Israel Police. The IDF spokesperson confirmed this, stating the injured soldier was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Hospital officials specified the victim was a man around 30 years old, admitted to the trauma unit unconscious and with severe injuries.