A gunman fired shots at the US Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday and was injured in an exchange of fire with the army.
The army said the attacker, a Syrian national, was taken to hospital for treatment and that it was continuing to comb the area.
Member of security team reportedly wounded in attack
The embassy said in a statement on X, "At 8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the US Embassy," the statement read.
At 8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the U.S. Embassy. Thanks to the quick reaction of the LAF, ISF, and our Embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe. Investigations are underway and we are in close contact…
— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) June 5, 2024
"Thanks to the quick reaction of the LAF, ISF, and our Embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe. Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement," the statement concluded.
A security source told Reuters that a member of the embassy’s security team was wounded in the attack and that the Lebanese army wounded one of the attackers in the stomach and was combing through the area to find the other attackers.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli media reported, citing Arab media, that a group of gunmen had opened fire near the US embassy in Beirut.