Lebanon Arrests Individual Who Fired on US Embassy Last Week 

An external view of the entrance of the US Embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, Lebanon, 21 September 2023. (EPA)
An external view of the entrance of the US Embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, Lebanon, 21 September 2023. (EPA)
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Lebanon Arrests Individual Who Fired on US Embassy Last Week 

An external view of the entrance of the US Embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, Lebanon, 21 September 2023. (EPA)
An external view of the entrance of the US Embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, Lebanon, 21 September 2023. (EPA)

Lebanon's security forces have arrested at least one individual involved in a shooting at the US embassy last week, two security sources told Reuters.

One security source said the individual was a Lebanese man. The second security source said ammunition he had in his possession had also been seized.

The shooting, which did not result in any injuries, occurred late on Wednesday near the highly secured US embassy north of Beirut, in the town of Awkar. Security incidents around the facility are rare.

US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea said on Friday the embassy was not intimidated by the incident.

"We know that authorities are investigating this incident," Shea said after meeting Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, who condemned the shooting.

Washington moved its embassy to Awkar from Beirut following a 1983 suicide attack in Lebanon's capital that killed more than 60 people.



Israel Strikes Lebanon after Discussing 'Iranian Threat' with Trump

A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
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Israel Strikes Lebanon after Discussing 'Iranian Threat' with Trump

A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

Israel launched fresh strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs early Thursday, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president-elect Donald Trump spoke about the "Iranian threat".

The Israeli premier was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, calling the re-election "history's greatest comeback".

Over the phone on Wednesday, the pair "agreed to work together for Israel's security" and "discussed the Iranian threat", Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Not long afterwards, the Israeli military launched its latest strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah's main bastion of south Beirut, with AFP footage showing orange flashes and plumes of smoke over the densely populated suburb.

The Israeli army had issued evacuation orders ahead of the strikes, calling on people to leave four neighborhoods, including one near the international airport.

In Lebanon's east, the country's health ministry said Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 40 people, with rescuers combing the rubble for survivors.

"The series of Israeli enemy strikes on the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek" killed "40 people and injured 53", the ministry said in a statement.