Gunfire at US embassy in Beirut

The shooting lasted half an hour, according to witnesses, and comes amid tensions between Hezbollah and Israel over the war in Gaza and came on the day Benjamin Netanyahu announced a “major military operation” in Lebanon. Clashes occur daily along the border between the two countries, although so far both sides have largely avoided a confrontation.

Acting Lebanese Prime Minister Nayib Mikati has assured that he is closely monitoring the incident and has guaranteed that “the situation is stable” after a meeting with Defense Minister Maurice Slim and several contacts with the army and services of security. The investigation is open and local media have indicated that the attacker is of Syrian origin. Mikati said that Ambassador Lisa Johnson was not in the country at the time of the attack.

The modus operandi was similar to that in September, when another man armed with an AK47 opened fire on the embassy without any victims or injuries. On that occasion it was unclear whether the action was politically motivated.

A month later, after the war in Gaza began, hundreds of people demonstrated outside the League on a “Day of Rage” called by Hezbollah and security forces used riot gear to break up protesters. The United States has been building a new embassy close to the existing one for some time, which will be one of its greatest legacies in the world when it opens.