A guard was injured… Shooting targets the American embassy in Lebanon

Welat TV - Erbil

The American Embassy in Lebanon was subjected to a shooting incident by a person of Syrian nationality. The US Embassy explained that it received a report at 8:34 a.m. local time about small arms fire near the entrance to the embassy.

The Lebanese Army reported that its members responded to the sources of fire and wounded the shooter. The Lebanese Army stated in an official statement that the rapid intervention of army personnel contributed to containing the situation and controlling the incident.

For its part the US Embassy published a statement on its official page on the “X” website (formerly Twitter), in which it said: “Thanks to the quick reaction of the Lebanese Army, the Internal Security Forces, and our security team at the embassy, our facility and team are safe. Investigations are ongoing and we are in close contact with law enforcement authorities in host country.

The Lebanese Cabinet issued a statement confirming that Prime Minister Najib Miqati received a report from the relevant authorities to initiate investigations to uncover the circumstances of the shooting incident at the American Embassy and to arrest all those involved.

The statement stated that Miqati followed up on the issue during his meeting with Defense Minister Maurice Slim, and held a series of contacts with the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, and the leaders of the security services.

The Prime Minister was informed by those concerned that the situation was stable and that intensive investigations had begun to clarify the circumstances of the incident and to arrest all those involved. Miqati made contact with those concerned at the embassy to check on the situation and the embassy’s employees, given the presence of Ambassador Lisa Johnson outside Lebanon.

According to private Lebanese media reports, including the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBCI), one embassy guard was injured, one of the attackers was killed, another militant was arrested and wounded by the Lebanese Army, and a third militant is still being searched. No official account has been issued confirming this information yet.

Investigations are continuing to uncover all the circumstances of the incident and determine the motives of the attackers, while close cooperation continues between the US Embassy and the Lebanese authorities to ensure the safety of American employees and facilities in Lebanon.