A car-ramming attack at a West Bank checkpoint left the son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States fighting for his life, while security forces shot and killed the driver at the scene.
Story Snapshot
- Neria Leiter, son of Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, was critically wounded in the attack.
- The ramming happened near the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443, close to Beit Horon.
- Security forces killed the driver, identified as 29-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman, at the scene.
- Leiter was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in serious condition.
Attack Unfolds At West Bank Checkpoint
The attack happened on Route 443 near the Maccabim checkpoint, close to Beit Horon, on September 23. Israel’s national ambulance service, Magen David Adom, received a hotline call at 4:54 p.m. reporting that a person had been struck on the road. Officials quickly labeled the incident a car-ramming terror attack after security forces responded to the scene near the checkpoint.
Israeli troops stationed at the checkpoint shot and killed the driver moments after the crash. The Jerusalem Post reported the attacker was 29-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman, a resident of Beit Ur al-Tahta. Military and police officials described the killing as a direct response to a car-ramming attack carried out at the checkpoint.
Ambassador’s Son Fights For Life
The wounded man was identified as Neria Leiter, an American citizen and the son of Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States. He was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he was placed under sedation in serious condition. Israeli and American outlets alike confirmed the family connection within hours of the attack.
News outlets have described Leiter’s role at the checkpoint in slightly different ways, calling him a reservist, an IDF soldier, or a security officer on duty. The exact job title has shifted across reports, but every account agrees he was seriously hurt and required urgent hospital care after the ramming.
Part Of A Familiar And Deadly Pattern
Vehicle-ramming attacks are not new to Israel and the West Bank. Academic research tracking these incidents found a sharp rise in ramming attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank starting around 2015, a trend that has continued in waves since then.
As Neriya Leiter fights for life, sister goes into labor 40 meters away
Doctors say US envoy Yechiel Leiter’s son is stable but remains in danger after a West Bank ramming attack; family is confronting the crisis nearly three years…https://t.co/F0KGFiMSRi pic.twitter.com/OOzyf11vGn
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) September 24, 2026
Security researchers note that ramming attacks remain hard to stop because they require little planning and can strike almost anywhere a car can reach, including checkpoints meant to screen for exactly this kind of threat. A regional tracking group has recorded 148 “critical” terrorist attacks in recent years, a mix of shootings, stabbings, and car rammings.
This attack carries extra weight because it struck the family of a sitting ambassador, instantly pulling a local security incident into the middle of U.S.-Israel diplomacy. For everyday families on both sides of the checkpoint, though, the attack is another reminder that ordinary roads and routine security posts remain flashpoints in an unresolved conflict.
Sources:
pjmedia.com, fr.jpost.com, jfeed.com, jpost.com, cnn.com, academic.oup.com
