Gunman attempts to attack US embassy in Lebanon, is shot and captured by Lebanese forces

Beirut — A gunman was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers on Wednesday after attempting to attack the U.S. Embassy, ​​the Lebanese military said. The embassy is located outside Beirut.

The attack came as tensions continued to simmer in the small Mediterranean country, where months of Fighting between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops has forced thousands to flee along the common border between both countries.

Tensions along the border have escalated recently, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the northern border region on Wednesday and warning that his government was prepared to “take very tough action against the Iran-backed group” as far-right members of his cabinet pressure him to take action against Hezbollah.

The Lebanese military said in a statement that soldiers shot dead an attacker they described only as a Syrian national. The gunman was taken to a hospital.

A Lebanese security official told the Associated Press that there were four attackers. One of them drove the gunmen to the scene and three others opened fire. Some local media also spoke of multiple suspects. However, official reports speak of only one gunman and videos from the scene show security forces struggling with only one person.

The motive was initially unclear, but Lebanese media published photos that apparently show the bloodied attacker wearing a black vest with the words “Islamic State” and the English initials “I” and “S” written on it in Arabic. ISIS is also known as the Islamic State.

Local media reported a nearly half-hour-long shootout near the US diplomatic headquarters in the Aukar suburb north of Beirut.

CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reports that the U.S. Embassy compound north of Beirut is an extremely secure area, with several checkpoints that one must pass through before one can approach the entrance.

The U.S. Embassy said small arms fire had been reported near its entrance, but that none of its staff were injured by the gunfire and that Lebanese troops and embassy security were quickly mobilized.

A statement from the office of Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he had been informed after meetings with the defense minister and the army commander that the situation was stable and investigations were underway.

The Lebanese military said it had deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.

In 1983, 63 people were killed in a bomb attack on the US embassy in Beirut. US authorities blamed the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for the attack.

After this attack, the embassy was moved from the center of Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar in the north of the capital. On September 20, 1984, the new location was hit by another bomb attack.

In September 2023, Lebanese security forces arrested a Lebanese man who opened fire near the U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries in this attack.

In October 2023, demonstrations in support of the people of the Gaza Strip and the militant Hamas group near the US embassy led to clashes between hundreds of protesters and Lebanese security forces. his war with Israel.