An individual fired light weapons this Wednesday against the United States Embassy on the outskirts of Beirut (Lebanon) and has been injured by the intervention of the Lebanese security forces, with no further victims reported as a result of the incident, according to a statement from the Lebanese Army.

“The US embassy in Lebanon, in the Awkar area, has been shot at by a person of Syrian nationality. “Army soldiers deployed in the area responded to the source of the gunshots, resulting in the perpetrator being injured,” the statement said.

The attacker was arrested on site and has been transferred to a hospital to receive medical treatment, the military note added. For its part, the American diplomatic legation has confirmed in its X account that around 8:30 local time (6:30 GMT) “light weapons shots in the vicinity of the entrance” to its facilities. Until now the motive behind this attack is unknown.

US opens investigation

Likewise, he has assured that both the Embassy complex and its staff are “safe” thanks to the “quick reaction” of the Lebanese Army, the Police and the legation’s security team, while announcing the start of an investigation to clarify the details of the event.

This is the second incident of this type that occurred since last September, when other people also fired light weapons in the vicinity of the US facilities, without any casualties being reported. That shooting occurred on the same day that commemorated the anniversary of a car bomb attack against the American diplomatic mission in September 1984, which left eleven dead and 58 injured.

Washington is currently building a large compound to expand the size of its Embassy, a fortified complex of such dimensions that it has raised controversy in the small countryof just 10,000 square kilometers, and questions about the motivations behind the deployment.