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Shooting reported at US Embassy in Beirut

Local media reported the gunfight lasted for almost half an hour.

By JNS

Lebanon’s security agencies have launched an investigation into a Wednesday morning shooting outside the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut.

The unidentified assailant was injured during the attack and was evacuated to hospital. The motive behind the attack remain unclear.

At “8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the embassy,” the embassy said. “Our facility and team are safe,” the statement added.

The United States and Lebanon were “in close contact” to determine the circumstances of the incident, according to the embassy.

According to local reports, three gunmen fired on the embassy, with a Lebanese security official confirming this to The National, a state-owned English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi.

The newspaper also reported that the Lebanese Armed Forces identified the shooter as a Syrian. A diplomatic source told The National that an embassy guard was shot in the incident.

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Local media reported the gunfight lasted for almost half an hour.