Gunman fires shots at US embassy in Lebanon

BEIRUT: A gunman fired shots at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday and was wounded in an exchange of fire with troops, the Lebanese army said.

The army said the attacker, a Syrian national, was detained and taken to hospital for treatment and soldiers were searching through the area for other gunmen. The U.S. embassy said small arms fire was reported near its entrance in the morning but that the facility and staff were safe. U.S. ambassador Lisa Johnson is currently travelling outside Lebanon, according to diplomatic sources.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters on Wednesday morning that a member of the embassy’s Lebanese security team was lightly wounded. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan later confirmed to NBC News that a Lebanese guard was wounded and was receiving treatment.

The embassy said it would remain closed to the public for the rest of Wednesday but planned to be open for business as usual on Thursday, June 6.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but another senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that the army was investigating possible links to the Islamic State group. The source said the attacker had “ISIS” in English and “Islamic State” in Arabic written on clothes he was wearing. Lebanese security forces have detained two sheikhs as well as the attacker’s family, the source added.