BEIRUT, Lebanon: A Syrian was arrested after a shooting near the US embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, the Lebanese army said, with the embassy saying its staff were safe.

The embassy, in the northern suburb of Awkar, “was subjected to gunfire by a person holding Syrian nationality”, the army said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “Army personnel deployed in the area responded to the sources of fire, wounding the shooter,” the statement said, adding that “he was arrested and transported to hospital”. The army said it was investigating the shooting.

The US embassy said “at 8:34 am (0534 GMT)... small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance”. “Thanks to the quick reaction” of the Lebanese army, security forces “and our embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe,” it said on X. It added that “investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement”. An AFP photographer said access to the area around the embassy was blocked off, with a heavy army deployment in the area. In images posted on social media, a man can be heard saying in Arabic “there’s an attack on the embassy,” as gunshots ring out in the background.

A judicial source told AFP that security forces were combing wooded areas near the embassy for any accomplices, adding that the shooter’s wounds were “serious”. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke with army and security service official who assured him “the situation is under control”, a statement from his office said. “An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the incident and arrest all those involved,” the statement said, adding that US ambassador Lisa Johnson was currently outside Lebanon.

In September last year, a gunman opened fire at the US embassy, without causing casualties. Lebanese police alleged the shooter was a delivery driver seeking revenge for his perceived humiliation by security personnel. That shooting coincided with the anniversary of a deadly 1984 car bombing outside the US embassy annexe in Beirut, which the United States blamed on Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

US diplomatic and military missions in Lebanon were attacked on a number of occasions during the 1975-1990 civil war, when hardline Islamists also took several US hostages. The embassy relocated to Awkar after it was hit by an April 1983 suicide bombing that killed 63 people. — AFP