Lebanese soldiers captured a militant who tried to attack the US embassy on the outskirts of Beirut on Wednesday, the military said.
The attack came amid tensions in the tiny 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 military said in a statement that soldiers shot the attacker, they identified as a Syrian national. The shooter’s motives remained unclear. However, Lebanese media published photos that appeared to show the bloodied attacker wearing a black waistcoat with “Islamic State” written in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S.”
Local media reported that the shootout outside the US diplomatic mission in the Aukar suburb north of Beirut lasted nearly half an hour.
A Lebanese security official told The Associated Press that there were four attackers, including one who drove the gunmen to the site and three who opened fire. The military killed one gunman, another escaped and the third was wounded and detained by the Lebanese military. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
The US Embassy said the early morning attack outside the embassy did not result in any casualties among staff and that Lebanese troops and embassy security were quickly mobilised.
Lebanon’s interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s office said in a statement that after meetings with the defence minister and army commander, he received information that the situation had stabilised and that a serious investigation was under way.
Later, the Lebanese military said it had deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.
Attacks on the US embassy
In 1983, a deadly terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. US officials later blame the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for the attack.
In September 2023, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire outside the US Embassy. Later, in October 2023, hundreds of demonstrators clashed with Lebanese security forces at a demonstration outside the US Embassy in support of Gazans and the militant group Hamas in its war on Israel.
Tensions continue to escalate
Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevy said the country is getting closer to the point of deciding on further action on the Lebanese track, where tensions continue to escalate.
Halevy made the statement after travelling to the Lebanon-Israel border area. There, he held an operational meeting to discuss how to deal with fires that broke out in the border area after shelling. Adding that the army is ready to launch an offensive in the north, the military commander also said:
“We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made, and the Israel Defence Forces are prepared and very ready for that decision.”
