The Lebanese army thwarted an attack by gunmen on the US embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday morning in Beirut. One attacker was reportedly killed.
A Lebanese security official told The Associated Press that there were four attackers, including one who took them to the scene and three who opened fire. One shooter was killed, another escaped and the third was wounded and detained by the Lebanese army.
The US embassy in Beirut said “small arms fire” was reported in the vicinity of its entrance at around 8:34 a.m. local time, but that its facilities and equipment were safe.
“Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country authorities,” the embassy wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Lebanese security officers stand guard on a road leading to the US embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (AP)
A member of the embassy security team was wounded in the attack and the Lebanese army shot the attacker in the stomach, a security source told Reuters. The army continues to search the area for other possible attackers.
The Lebanese army said it deployed troops around the embassy and its surroundings.
The motives for the attack were unclear, but Lebanese media published 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.”
Local media reported that there was a shootout for almost half an hour by the American diplomatic mission.
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A gunman was captured by Lebanese soldiers after attempting to attack the US embassy near Beirut. (AP)
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The embassy is located in the northern Beirut suburb of Aukar, in a highly secure area with multiple checkpoints along the road to the entrance. He moved there from Beirut after more than 60 people were killed in a suicide attack in 1983.
In September, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire outside the US embassy. No casualties were reported in that attack.
The following month, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the US embassy amid the war between Hamas terrorists and Israeli forces.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
