Syrian gunman attacks US embassy near Beirut

Lebanese security stand guard on a road that leads to the US embassy in Aukar.

The Lebanese army has said a gunman attempted to attack the US embassy near Beirut.

The military said that soldiers shot and injured an assailant, who they only described as a Syrian national. The gunman was taken to hospital.

Local media reported that there was a gunfight for almost half an hour near the US diplomatic mission in the suburb of Aukar, north of Beirut.

The US embassy said the morning attack by the embassy’s entrance did not cause any casualties among their staff, and that Lebanese troops and embassy security mobilised quickly.

The gunman was taken to hospital (AP)

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

In 1983, a deadly bombing attack on the US embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. US officials blame the attack on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Following that attack, the embassy was moved from central Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar, north of the capital. Another bomb attack struck the new location on September 20 1984.

In September 2023, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire by the US embassy. There were no casualties in that attack.

In October 2023, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in demonstrations near the US embassy in support of Gaza’s people and the militant group Hamas in its war with Israel.