·
·
Monday, 17 August 2026dailybeirut.com
Lebanon
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Dwaaji is set to travel to Syria and Lebanon starting 20 September, prompting a public dispute over whether NYPD protective units will accompany her—a trip deemed non-official and falling under U.S. State Department Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisories.
U.S. newspaper The Post reported that Rama Dwaaji, wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, plans to travel to Syria and Lebanon next month, triggering debate in New York City over security arrangements for the trip.
The anticipated journey has drawn scrutiny after two contradictory accounts emerged regarding whether the New York Police Department’s protective unit would accompany Dwaaji beginning 20 September.
The Mayor’s Office stated that an NYPD protective team would travel with Dwaaji, while the NYPD publicly denied the claim, clarifying it does not deploy officers to countries under U.S. State Department Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisories for voluntary, non-investigative trips, according to The New York Post.
A source familiar with the security planning told the newspaper that Dwaaji intends to visit family members in both countries accompanied by personnel assigned to protect her as part of an NYPD security detail funded by taxpayer money.
The source emphasized the trip is not official, adding: “She is not doing anything for the city.”
Mayor’s spokesperson Dora Bekic said: “Based on a strong recommendation from the NYPD, the protective detail will accompany the First Lady when she travels to visit her family in Syria and Lebanon.”
An NYPD spokesperson countered, stating the trip “is not related to an investigation, and therefore NYPD officers will not travel to participate in it.”
The controversy carries added weight because both Syria and Lebanon are designated Level 4—“Do Not Travel”—under U.S. Department of State travel advisories, the highest warning tier.
The Lebanon advisory was issued on 5 June; the Syria advisory followed on 8 July.
The Post cited a source familiar with protection logistics who said Dwaaji specifically requested NYPD security for this trip, following an earlier overseas visit in July during which no NYPD security personnel accompanied her.
The scheduled travel coincides with the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, a period typically placing significant strain on NYPD resources as world leaders and delegations converge on New York City.
