Lebanese soldiers shoot gunman firing at US embassy

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Lebanese soldiers have been deployed to the streets after shots were fired at the US embassy in northern Beirut
  • Author, Brandon Drenon
  • Role, 大象传媒 News

Lebanese soldiers have shot and captured a man who fired at the US embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, according to Lebanon's military.

Local media reported that gunfire was exchanged with the assailant, only identified as a Syrian national, for roughly 30 minutes before his arrest.

The military and embassy officials said security was mobilised quickly during the attack but that an embassy security guard had been injured.

Tensions in the region have been simmering, after cross-border attacks between Israeli forces and the Lebanese group Hezbollah - linked to the war in Gaza.

The months-long violence across the Israeli-Lebanese border has displaced thousands of people on both sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened "very strong action" against Hezbollah during a visit to the border area on Wednesday.

The assailant shot by the Lebanese military was wearing a bloodied black vest with the words 鈥淚slamic State鈥 written in Arabic and the English initials 鈥淚鈥 and 鈥淪", according to local media.

The motive for the attack on the heavily guarded building remains unclear.

The Lebanese military only mentioned one person involved, who was wounded and taken to hospital.

However, reports have suggested there were multiple suspects, including a driver and three who opened fire.

Joe Abdo, who works at a gas station near the compound, told the Associated Press he heard 鈥渁round 15 to 20 rounds of gunfire鈥 while working that morning.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati's office said the PM had been informed about the incident, adding that the situation was stable and investigations were under way.

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

A deadly bombing of the US embassy in Lebanon in 1983 killed 63 people, prompting officials to move its location from central Beirut to Aukar, a northern suburb.

Tension around the diplomatic headquarters has escalated in the wake of the Israel-Gaza war.

In October, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces around the embassy to express their anger over Gaza's mounting death toll.