Rhino: Agencies – The Lebanese army said a gunman opened fire at the US embassy on Wednesday and that the attacker was wounded when army forces in the area returned fire.

The attacker, a Syrian national, was taken to a hospital for treatment and troops are still combing the area around the embassy in search of other attackers, the army said.

The embassy said that small arms fire was reported near its entrance on Wednesday morning. The embassy confirmed the safety of its facilities and staff. US Ambassador Lisa Johnson is currently travelling out of Lebanon, diplomatic sources said.

A security source told Reuters on Wednesday morning that a member of the embassy’s Lebanese security team was slightly injured.

The US embassy said it would remain closed to the public for the rest of Wednesday but planned to resume work on Thursday.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but another senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that the army was investigating possible links to Islamic State.