State Department spokesman Matthew Miller Said The man who reportedly opened fire on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday “was wearing what appeared to be ISIS insignia,” the report said.
Miller said the State Department was “conducting a thorough investigation together with Lebanese authorities into the actual motives.”
“Following the incident, the shooter was arrested. The US Embassy is in contact with Lebanese authorities as the incident is being investigated. In regards to embassy security, the embassy was immediately secured,” he said.
Lebanese media reported that at least one gunman Shots fired The US Embassy was stormed on Wednesday morning, sparking a 30-minute gun battle with security forces.
Video posted on social media showed a man wearing a military-style tactical vest and helmet holding a rifle near the embassy. The vest had the name “Islamic State” and the initials “I” and “S” written on it in Arabic, a detail Miller appeared to confirm at the press conference.
“He’s been firing at the embassy for a while now and no one has been able to stop him. He’s just going back and forth,” a bystander can be heard saying on the video.
witness Said He heard “about 15 to 20 gunshots” during the fighting, but didn’t see any more gunfire because of troops who had sealed off the area, according to the Associated Press.
“Soldiers in the area responded to the source of the gunfire and wounded the gunman. He was arrested and transferred to hospital for treatment,” the Lebanese army said in a statement. Said.
Some Lebanese officials have told media they believe there was only one perpetrator. Said Up to four assailants may have been involved in the incident – the main suspect was injured during the fight and later detained.
Lebanese authorities described the gunman as a Syrian national living in the Lebanese border town of Majdal Anjar. Lebanese forces raided Majdal Anjar and the nearby town of Swaili on Wednesday, arresting three of the suspect’s relatives and two associates.
The US embassy is actually located in Beirut’s northern suburb of Awkar and is a heavily secured compound with restricted access and multiple defensive checkpoints. The original Beirut embassy was the victim of a suicide bomb attack in 1983 that killed 63 people.
The new embassy was attacked by a gunman in September last year, but no injuries were reported. The previous attack was not carried out by terrorists but was believed to have been carried out by someone with a personal grudge against embassy staff.
Since Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, there have been a number of angry and violent pro-Palestinian demonstrations outside the embassy grounds and the embassy remains on alert.
The embassy Security Alert On Wednesday, the ambassador explained the shooting incident and expressed gratitude to “the host country security forces and the embassy security team for their swift response.”
The alert reiterated current travel advice for Lebanon, saying that US citizens “should avoid travel to the Lebanon-Israel border area, the Lebanon-Syria border area, and refugee population areas.”
“People across Lebanon should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution near sites of large gatherings or protests,” the embassy said.
