A gunman fired more than a dozen bullets at the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanese officials said, with the diplomatic mission reporting no casualties in the incident that occurred late in the evening.
On Wednesday, “At 10:37 pm local time (7:37 GMT), shooting from small arms was reported near the entrance to the American embassy,” said embassy spokesman Jake Nelson. “There were no casualties, and our facilities are secure,” he said, adding that they are in “close contact” with local law enforcement authorities. Lebanese forces have cordoned off the area.
A security official told AFP that the unknown assailant struck late Wednesday evening, firing 15 bullets at the Embassy entrance and leaving behind a bag full of ammunition.
The bag was seized by authorities, a judicial official told AFP.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the press.
A military court has begun investigating the incident, the judicial official stated, calling it “a serious crime targeting the embassy of a major country.”
Authorities were reviewing surveillance camera footage, according to the security official. He said the attack was meant “to send a specific message,” without further elaboration.
The shooting coincided with the 39th anniversary of a deadly 1984 car bombing outside the US Embassy annex in Beirut, which the United States blamed on the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Following the incident, Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel warned against “an aggravation of such incidents, which will not be in anyone’s interest, least of all that of the perpetrators.”
Ziad Hawat, member of the Strong Republic parliamentary bloc (Lebanese Forces), said that the aim of these incidents was to “exacerbate security tensions.” On his X account, he wrote, “Beware of playing with fire at this critical time. Lebanon can no longer assume the role of mailbox to serve the interests of foreign forces.”
