The Lebanese army thwarted a gunman’s attack on the US Embassy in Lebanon in Beirut on Wednesday morning, with one attacker reportedly killed.
A Lebanese security official told The Associated Press that there were four attackers, one of whom drove to the scene and three of whom opened fire.
In a post by X, the Lebanese army said its members wounded one of the gunmen, a Syrian national, who was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment.
Lebanon’s state-run Press Agency later reported that the National Security Agency, working with Army Intelligence, had also arrested the brother of the US embassy attack suspect in a swift operation in Majdal Anjar.
The US Embassy in Beirut said it received reports of “small arms fire” near the embassy entrance at about 8:34 a.m. local time, but that the facility and staff were safe.
“Thanks to the swift response of host country security forces and our embassy security team, our facilities and staff are safe,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement. The embassy will be closed for the remainder of today, June 5, but plans to resume regular general operations tomorrow, June 6.”
The embassy advised US citizens in Lebanon to keep an eye on the situation. Travel.State.Government “Please monitor alerts and news closely for the latest developments that may affect your national security.”
“An investigation is ongoing and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement authorities,” the embassy wrote on “X,” the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Gunmen open fire outside the US Embassy in Lebanon. (Fox News)
A member of the embassy’s security team was wounded in the attack and Lebanese forces shot the attacker in the stomach, a security source told Reuters, adding that the army was continuing to search the area for other possible assailants.
The Lebanese army said it had deployed troops to the embassy and the surrounding area.
Lebanese special forces in vehicles patrol the road leading to the U.S. Embassy in Awkar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Lebanese army soldiers arrested a gunman who tried to storm the U.S. Embassy near Beirut on Wednesday, the Lebanese army said. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
The motive for the attack was unclear, but Lebanese media published photos showing what appeared to be a blood-stained attacker wearing a black vest bearing the name “Islamic State” in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S.”
Local media reported that a gun battle lasted for nearly 30 minutes near the US diplomatic mission.
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Lebanese security forces stand guard on a road leading to the U.S. Embassy in Awkar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Associated Press)
The embassy is located in the northern Beirut suburb of Awkar, inside a high-security area with several checkpoints along the entrance route. It was relocated there from Beirut after a suicide bombing there in 1983 killed more than 60 people.
In September, Lebanese security forces arrested a Lebanese man who opened fire near the US Embassy. No casualties were reported in the attack.
A gunman who tried to storm the US Embassy near Beirut has been arrested by the Lebanese army. (Associated Press)
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The following month, amid a war between Hamas terrorists and Israeli forces, hundreds of protesters held a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the U.S. Embassy and clashed with Lebanese security forces.
A travel advisory already in place before the embassy attack advised Americans to avoid traveling to the Lebanon-Israel border area, the Lebanon-Syria border area and refugee population centers. “Avoid demonstrations throughout Lebanon and exercise caution near sites of large gatherings or protests,” the advisory said.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
