OAN’s James Meyers
8:32 AM – Wednesday, June 5, 2024
The Lebanese army stopped an attack by a gunman on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday morning in Beirut.
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According to the Lebanese army, the attacker, a Syrian national, was wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment and soldiers were searching the area to see if other gunmen were involved.
Additionally, the U.S. Embassy said small gunfire was reported near its entrance in the morning.
The attack takes place as tensions have begun to calm down in Beirut, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops had displaced thousands along the border.
Prior reporting had indicated that a gunman was killed, and that four gunmen in total were involved. A Lebanese security official and two judicial officials familiar with the case later told The Associated Press that it appeared to be the attack of one gunman.
According to diplomatic sources, U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson is currently traveling outside Lebanon.
A Lebanese security source told Reuters that Lebanese troops wounded the gunman in the stomach.
The security source also said a member of the embassy’s security team was lightly wounded.
The U.S. Embassy, located in the suburb of Aukar, north of Beirut, said “small arms fire” was reported in the vicinity of its entrance around 8:34 a.m. local time, but that its facility and team were safe.
“Thanks to the quick reaction of host country security forces and our Embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe,” the U.S. Embassy wrote in a statement. “Investigations are underway, and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement. The Embassy will remain closed to the public for the rest of today, June 5, but plans to be open for general business as usual tomorrow, June 6.”
The embassy also stated that U.S. citizens in Lebanon should monitor Travel.State.Gov “for alerts and the news closely for breaking developments that could affect internal security.”
“Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement,” the embassy wrote earlier on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The U.S. Embassy is located north of Beirut in a highly secured zone with multiple checkpoints along the route to the entrance.
The embassy moved out of Beirut following a suicide attack in 1983, which killed over 60 people.
After the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th against Israel, protesters gathered outside the embassy to call for a stoppage to the war.
Lebanese security forces responded by using tear gas and water cannons to get rid of them.
Lebanon has been at the middle of the conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since October in parallel to the war in the Middle East.
A travel advisory had been put in place before the attack, saying U.S. citizens should avoid travel to the Lebanon-Israel border area, the Lebanon-Syria border area, and refugee settlements.
“In all parts of Lebanon, you should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests,” the advisory says.
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