Syrian arrested after shooting near US embassy in Lebanese capital

The shooter allegedly wanted revenge for the humiliation by the security personnel

Beirut, Lebanon:

A Syrian was arrested after a shooting near the US embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, the Lebanese army said. The diplomatic mission said its staff were safe.

The embassy in the northern suburb of Awkar was “fired upon by a person of Syrian nationality,” the army said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

“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 army said it was investigating the incident.

The US embassy said that “at 8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported near the entrance” to the high-security mission.

“Thanks to the rapid response” of the Lebanese army, security forces “and our embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe,” X said.

It added that “investigations are ongoing and we are in close contact with the host country’s law enforcement authorities.”

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 bombing outside the US embassy annex in Beirut in 1984. The US blamed the attack on Iran-backed Hezbollah.

During the civil war from 1975 to 1990, US diplomatic and military missions in Lebanon were attacked several times. Islamic fundamentalists also took several Americans hostage.

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

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)