On Wednesday morning in Beirut, the Lebanese army foiled an attack by gunmen on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. One assailant was reportedly killed.

According to a Lebanese security official speaking to The Associated Press, four assailants were involved: one who drove them to the site and three who opened fire. One shooter was killed, one escaped, and the third was wounded and detained by the Lebanese military.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut reported "small arms fire" near its entrance around 8:34 a.m. local time, but confirmed that its facility and staff were safe. A member of the embassy's security team was injured, and the Lebanese army shot an attacker in the stomach, a security source told Reuters. The army continues to search the area for other potential attackers.

The Lebanese military has deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.

The motives for the attack remain unclear, but Lebanese media published photos showing a bloodied attacker wearing a black vest with "Islamic State" written in Arabic and the English initials "I" and "S."

Local media reported that a gunfight ensued for almost half an hour near the U.S. diplomatic mission. The embassy, located in the suburb of Awkar, north of Beirut, is in a highly secured zone with multiple checkpoints along the route to the entrance. It relocated there from Beirut after more than 60 people were killed in a 1983 suicide attack.

In September, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire near the U.S. Embassy, though no casualties were reported in that incident.

The following month, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the U.S. Embassy amid the conflict between Hamas and Israeli forces.