Assailant shot by troopers in a gunfight earlier than being arrested and brought to hospital, embassy experiences workers ‘protected’.
A gunman who fired on the embassy of the USA in Beirut has been arrested after he was injured in return fireplace.
The assault on the embassy on Wednesday morning was carried out by a Syrian nationwide, in keeping with the Lebanese navy. The incident comes amid heightened tensions throughout the area as Israel continues its battle in Gaza.
The assailant, who was wounded in a gunfight with troopers, has been arrested and brought to hospital. The military mentioned in an announcement on X that the attacker was a Syrian nationwide and that it was investigating the incident.
It provided no additional particulars, however a photograph being circulated on social media exhibits a bloodied man sporting a vest with “Islamic State” written on it in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S”.
Reporting from exterior the embassy, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr famous the “heavy safety presence”, with the Lebanese military not permitting individuals by way of to the compound.
The embassy, which sits within the metropolis’s northern suburb of Awkar, mentioned “small arms fireplace” had been reported at 8.34am (05.34 GMT) “within the neighborhood of the doorway” to the constructing. It added that the embassy workers had been “protected”.
At 8:34 a.m. native time, small arms fireplace was reported within the neighborhood of the doorway to the U.S. Embassy. Due to the short response of the LAF, ISF, and our Embassy safety workforce, our facility and our workforce are protected. Investigations are underway and we’re in shut contact…
— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) June 5, 2024
Native media reported that the gunfight lasted virtually half an hour. A member of the embassy’s safety workforce was reportedly wounded, whereas the military was combing the realm seeking some other attainable attackers, in keeping with a safety supply talking to the Reuters information company.
Lebanese safety sources have steered that the detained attacker might not have been performing alone, Khodr mentioned. Authorities have steered that as much as 4 different gunmen had been concerned within the assault.
Anger
The embassy lies north of Beirut in a extremely secured zone with a number of checkpoints alongside the path to the doorway. It moved there following a suicide assault in 1983 which killed 63 individuals.
Stress has been excessive in Lebanon since Israel’s battle in Gaza began in October. Iran-linked armed group Hezbollah has been engaged in mutual assaults with Israel over the nation’s southern border.
In September final yr, a gunman opened fireplace on the US embassy, with out inflicting casualties. The Lebanese police had then mentioned the attacker was a supply driver in search of revenge for his perceived humiliation by safety personnel.
That taking pictures coincided with the anniversary of a lethal September 1984 automotive bombing exterior the US embassy annexe in Beirut that killed at the very least 20 individuals, which the US blamed on Hezbollah.
In October final yr, scores of protesters gathered exterior the embassy to reveal within the early days of the Gaza battle, and Lebanese safety forces used tear gasoline and water cannon to repel them.
Iran-linked teams in Syria and Yemen have additionally maintained low-level battle with Israeli forces.
“It’s too early to say [what were] the motives behind the assaults. There hasn’t been any declare of duty,” Khodr mentioned.
“Ever because the battle on Gaza occurred in October, we’ve seen violent protests on this space, individuals attempting to make their strategy to the embassy, individuals venting their anger in the direction of the US administration,” the correspondent famous.
