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Gunfire erupted at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday, resulting in an exchange of fire between a gunman and the country's army, leaving the assailant wounded.
According to the Lebanese army, the gunman, identified as a Syrian national, was subsequently transported to a hospital for medical treatment, while security forces continued to search the vicinity for any additional threats.
The U.S. embassy confirmed the incident, stating that "small arms fire" targeted the entrance of their premises at approximately 8:34 a.m. local time. However, they reassured the public that both the embassy and its personnel remained unharmed.
A security official disclosed to Reuters that a member of the embassy's security detail sustained injuries during the attack. Additionally, Lebanese military forces managed to wound one of the assailants in the abdomen while conducting a thorough sweep of the area in search of potential accomplices.
Situated north of Beirut, the embassy occupies a highly secure location, a precautionary measure taken following the tragic suicide bombing in 1983, which claimed the lives of over 60 individuals.
This recent incident marks another concerning security breach near the embassy's vicinity. In September, shots were fired in the vicinity, though no casualties were reported. Similarly, in October, amid the early stages of the Gaza conflict, demonstrators assembled outside the embassy to voice their grievances, prompting Lebanese security forces to employ tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
[Information sourced from Reuters]
