Syrian attacked US embassy in Beirut ‘in support of Gaza’: justice official

A Syrian man was arrested on Wednesday after a shooting near the US embassy in Beirut. A judicial official said the attacker carried out the attack “in support of Gaza”.

The embassy in the northern suburb of the capital, Awkar, was “fired upon by a person of Syrian nationality,” the army said on the social media platform X.

“Army personnel stationed in the area responded to the fires and injured the shooter,” the statement said. “He was arrested and taken to hospital.”

The US Embassy said on X that “small arms fire was reported near the entrance” and that “thanks to the rapid response” of the Lebanese army, security forces “and our embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe.”

The justice official told AFP that the attacker, who was seriously injured, said he carried out the attack “in support of the Gaza Strip,” where Israel and Hamas have been at war since the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.

A security official told AFP that a Lebanese citizen working for the embassy suffered minor injuries to his eye after the attacker opened fire.

The gunman, who lived in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, carried out the attack “alone,” added the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The Lebanese army later said in a statement that it had arrested five suspects in the case in the Bekaa region, including three relatives of the suspected shooter.

The U.S. Embassy said it would remain closed to the public for the rest of the day, “but plans to be open for general business as usual on Thursday.”

– Investigations ongoing –

An AFP photographer said access to the area around the diplomatic mission was blocked and numerous soldiers were stationed nearby.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke to army and security officials who assured him that “the situation is under control,” his office said in a statement.

“Investigations are ongoing to clarify the circumstances of the incident and to arrest all those involved,” the statement said. In addition, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson is currently outside Lebanon.

In September last year, a gunman opened fire on the US embassy without causing any casualties.

Lebanese police claimed the shooter was a delivery driver seeking revenge for humiliation by security personnel.

The shooting coincided with the anniversary of the deadly car bomb attack outside the annex of the US embassy in Beirut in 1984. The US blamed the attack on the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

During the civil war from 1975 to 1990, US diplomatic and military missions in Lebanon were attacked several times; radical Islamists also took several Americans hostage in this context.

The embassy was moved to Awkar after a suicide bombing in April 1983 that killed 63 people.

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