A gunman opened fire on the US Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday morning and was injured before being apprehended, the Lebanese Army announced.
The US Embassy reported that the attack at the embassy’s entrance did not result in any casualties among its personnel and that Lebanese troops and embassy security responded swiftly.
According to the Lebanese Army’s statement, as cited by The New York Times, a Syrian national opened fire, and soldiers wounded the assailant, who is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
A Lebanese security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, said the army had completed a search of the area around the diplomatic mission and initial information suggested the shooter acted alone.
The embassy was also targeted in September when a gunman fired at the complex. No one was injured in that incident, and a suspect was arrested. In October, protesters clashed with security forces while attempting to reach the embassy following a deadly explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
The diplomatic mission relocated from central Beirut to the suburb of Awkar, to the north, after a suicide bombing killed 63 people in 1983. US authorities attributed that attack to Hezbollah, which is currently engaged in clashes with Israel.
