The soldier wounded in the terror attack at Maccabim has been identified as the son of Israel's US Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, according to the Jerusalem Post. Israeli police said the terrorist struck a police patrol vehicle in the Judea and Samaria District; an officer and a soldier were inside the vehicle as part of a joint operation.
Just hours after the terror attack near the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443, the soldier critically wounded in the incident has been identified as Neriya Leiter, the son of Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter. According to Israeli police, the terrorist rammed a police patrol vehicle during a joint security operation Wednesday evening (Sep 23). The victim, who was inside the vehicle alongside an officer, sustained severe injuries and is currently in critical condition at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he underwent emergency brain surgery.
As The Zioneer first reported at 19:17 Jerusalem on Wednesday, the wounded soldier was quickly identified as the ambassador's son. Minutes later, his name was cleared for publication: Neriya Leiter. The thread quickly expanded with details of his family's profound sacrifice — his older brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, fell in combat in northern Gaza nearly two years ago. Within hours, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the Leiter family to offer support; Ambassador Leiter publicly stated that his son "needs a miracle." At an Armored Corps memorial, President Isaac Herzog led a public prayer for Neriya's recovery, and a prayer gathering was called at the Western Wall for late Wednesday night.
The attack, as The Zioneer has previously reported, underscores the persistent threat along Route 443, a strategic artery linking Jerusalem to the western approaches of the capital. Neriya continued to serve in the reserves after losing his brother, and his father, Ambassador Leiter, temporarily returned from Washington to be at his bedside. The area has remained under a heightened security posture.
Neriya's condition remains critical and life-threatening, with doctors providing continuous treatment. The terrorist was neutralized at the scene by police, and the investigation is ongoing.
10 developments
- ConfirmedDoctors stabilize Neria Leiter's condition, but life-threatening risk remains, ambassador says
- StrongAmbassador Leiter at son's bedside: 'We are full of hope he will return to us healthy and whole'
- DevelopingAmbassador Leiter discusses life in Israel on Newsmax moments before learning son was injured
- StrongUS Ambassador Huckabee urges prayers for Yechiel Leiter and family
Source and signal
- Open-source intake