Lebanon's security agencies have launched an investigation into a late-night shooting outside the heavily fortified US Embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut. The incident occurred when an unknown assailant fired shots at the embassy. The attacker, a Syrian national, was injured and was taken to a hospital. His motives remain unclear, although according to Arab media he had a ISIS slogan on his weapon.
Local media reported that there was a gunfight for almost half an hour. The embassy said that at "8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the embassy." It added that "our facility and team are safe." The US and Lebanon were "in close contact" to determine the circumstances of the incident, the statement read.
The US Embassy said the morning attack by the embassy's entrance did not cause any casualties among their staff, and that Lebanese troops and embassy security mobilized quickly. The Lebanese military said it deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.
In 1983, a deadly bombing attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. US officials blame the attack on the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. Following that attack, the embassy was moved from central Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar, north of the capital. Another bomb attack struck the new location on Sept. 20, 1984.
#فيديو #متداول | إطلاق نار في محيط #السفارة_الأميركية في منطقة #عوكر في جبل لبنان وأنباء عن إصابات.#الميادين_لبنان #لبنان pic.twitter.com/NvULi3SFn4
— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) June 5, 2024
In September 2023, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire by the US Embassy. There were no casualties in that attack. In October 2023, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in demonstrations near the US Embassy in support of Gaza's people and the terrorist group Hamas in its war with Israel.
