Beirut — A gunman was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers after trying to attack the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday, the military said. The embassy is located outside of Beirut.
The attack came as tensions continued to rise in the small Mediterranean country, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops have displaced thousands of people along the border after years of political blockade and economic difficulties
The Lebanese army said in a statement that soldiers shot an assailant, who they described only as a Syrian national. The gunman was taken to a hospital.
Mohamed Azakir / REUTERS
The shooters' motives were unclear. However, Lebanese media have released photographs that appear to show a bloodied attacker wearing a black vest with the words “Islamic State” written in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S”. ISIS is also known as the Islamic State.
Local media reported that there was gunfire for nearly half an hour near the US diplomatic mission in the northern Beirut suburb of Aukar.
A Lebanese security official told The Associated Press that there were four attackers, including one who led the gunmen to the site and three who opened fire.
One shooter was killed, one escaped and the third was wounded and detained by the Lebanese army. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Houssam Shbaro / Anadolu via Getty Images
The US Embassy said small arms fire was reported near its entrance, but that the gunfire did not injure any of its staff and that Lebanese troops and embassy security were they mobilized quickly.
A statement from the office of Lebanon's interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, said that after meetings with the defense minister and the army commander, he was informed that the situation was stable and that there are serious investigations into course
The Lebanese army said it deployed troops around the embassy and the surrounding area.
In 1983, a deadly attack on the US embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. US officials blame the attack on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
After that attack, the embassy was moved from central Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar, north of the capital. Another bomb attack hit the new location on September 20, 1984.
In September 2023, Lebanese security forces arrested a Lebanese man who opened fire outside the US embassy. There were no casualties in that attack.
In October 2023, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in demonstrations near the US embassy in support of the people of Gaza and the militant group Hamas in his war with Israel.
