On Wednesday, a Syrian national opened fire at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and was wounded in a shootout with the army. The attacker was subsequently hospitalised for his injuries, and the army continues to secure and search the surrounding area.
The U.S. Embassy reported “small arms fire” near its entrance at around 8:34 am local time and added that its facility and team were safe.
A security source told Reuters that the Lebanese army wounded one of the attackers in the stomach during an attack that also left a member of the embassy’s security team wounded. The army is currently searching the area to find the other attackers.
After a 1983 suicide attack that killed over 60 people, authorities relocated the U.S. Embassy from Beirut to a heavily fortified area north of the city, which includes several checkpoints along the route to its entrance.
In September, someone fired shots near the embassy, but no injuries were reported.
In October, scores of protesters gathered outside the embassy to demonstrate in the early days of the Gaza war, and Lebanese security forces used teargas and water cannons to repel them.
Lebanon has been the scene of conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since October in parallel to the Gaza war.
Amid fears that the war will deepen, tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border have uprooted themselves.
The United States has been making diplomatic efforts to ease violence along the border.
With Inputs from Reuters
