A gunman opened fire at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon early Wednesday and was shot and wounded by Lebanese troops, the country’s army said in a statement.

The embassy, in a post on X, said that at 8:34 a.m., “small-arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance” to the mission. It added that the “facility and our team are safe.” An embassy official later confirmed that one of its security guards was injured in the attack.

A gunman fired shots at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday and was wounded in an exchange of fire with troops, the Lebanese army said.

The army said the attacker, a Syrian national, was detained and taken to hospital for treatment and soldiers were searching through the area for other gunmen.

The U.S. embassy said small arms fire was reported near its entrance in the morning but that the facility and staff were safe. U.S. ambassador Lisa Johnson is currently travelling outside Lebanon, according to diplomatic sources.

The Lebanese army thwarted an attack by gunmen on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday morning in Beirut. 

The attack took place as tensions simmered in the tiny Mediterranean country, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops has displaced thousands along the border.

Local media reported that there was a gunfight involving at least one attacker and lasting almost half an hour by the U.S. diplomatic mission.