BEIRUT– A gunman was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers after a shootout Wednesday morning outside the U.S. Embassy near Beirut in which an embassy security guard was wounded, military and embassy officials said. .
The attack took place as tensions continued to rise in the small Mediterranean country, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops have displaced thousands of people along the border, after years of political stalemate and economic hardship.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that soldiers shot an assailant, whom they described only as a Syrian national. The gunman was wounded and taken to a hospital.
No motive was immediately clear. However, Lebanese media have 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 involving at least one attacker that lasted almost half an hour. A video that appeared on social media showed a gunman in a parking lot outside the embassy entrance firing shots with what appears to be an assault rifle.
The U.S. Embassy said in an initial statement that all of its staff were “safe” following the attack near the entrance to the sprawling diplomatic complex, and that Lebanese troops and embassy security were quickly mobilized.
An embassy spokesperson later said in a statement that an embassy security guard was injured in the attack.
“With regard to his privacy we cannot say more, but we wish him a full recovery,” said the spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
A statement from the office of Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that following meetings with the defense minister and the army commander, he was informed that the situation was now stable and that serious investigations were underway.
The Lebanese army said it deployed troops around the embassy and its surroundings.
In 1983, a deadly bomb attack on the US embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. U.S. officials blame the attack on Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
After that attack, the embassy was moved from the center of Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar, north of the capital. Another bomb attack hit the new location on September 20, 1984.
In September 2023, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire from the US embassy. There were no victims in that attack.
In October 2023, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in demonstrations near the US embassy in support of the people of Gaza and the militant group. Hamas in its war with Israel.
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Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.
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