Lebanese security forces and US Marines on guard at the American embassy in Beirut fought off an attack Wednesday morning by gunmen.
The gun battle lasted for 30 minutes and the attack was quickly put down with a man of Syrian nationality being arrested.
“Thanks to the quick reaction of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Internal Security Forces and our Embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe. Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement,” the embassy said on its X page.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with TODAY that an embassy guard had been injured in the attack and U.S. official told NBC News that initial assessments indicated the injury was minor.
Images circulating online appear to show an assailant wearing clothing emblazoned with the Arabic for “Islamic State” and the English initials for the group which is proscribed as a terror organization in most countries
