Syrian arrested after shooting near US embassy in Lebanese capital

Beirut, Lebanon:

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

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

“The soldiers deployed in the area responded to the sources of fire, injuring the shooter,” the statement said, adding that “he was arrested and transported 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 facilities and our team are safe,” we could read on X.

He adds that “investigations are ongoing and we are in close contact with the host country's law enforcement agencies.”

In September last year, a gunman opened fire on the US embassy, ​​causing no casualties.

Lebanese police said the shooter was a delivery driver seeking revenge for the humiliation he suffered at the hands of security personnel.

The shooting coincided with the anniversary of a deadly 1984 car bombing outside the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut, which the United States blamed on Iran-backed Hezbollah.

U.S. diplomatic and military missions in Lebanon were repeatedly attacked during the 1975-1990 civil war, when Islamic fundamentalists also took several American hostages.

The embassy moved to Awkar after being 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.)