BEIRUT (AP) — A gunman was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers after a shootout outside the U.S. Embassy near Beirut on Wednesday morning that wounded an embassy security guard, military and embassy officials said.

The attack came amid ongoing tensions in the small Mediterranean state, where months of fighting between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops have led to thousands of people fleeing along the border after years of political blockade and economic hardship.

The Lebanese military said in a statement that soldiers shot dead an attacker they described only as a Syrian national. The gunman was injured and taken to a hospital.

The motive was not immediately clear, but Lebanese media have published photos that appear to show a bloodied attacker wearing a black vest with the words “Islamic State” in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S.”

Local media reported a shootout involving at least one attacker that lasted nearly half an hour. A video that surfaced on social media showed a gunman in a parking lot opposite the embassy entrance firing an assault rifle.

The US embassy said in an initial statement that all staff were “safe” after the attack near the entrance to the sprawling diplomatic complex and that Lebanese troops and embassy security had been quickly mobilized.

An embassy spokesman later said in a statement that an embassy security officer was injured in the attack.

“Out of respect for his privacy, we cannot say more, but we wish him a full recovery,” said the spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations.

A statement from the office of Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that after meetings with the defense minister and the army commander, he was informed that the situation was now stable and serious investigations were underway.

The Lebanese military said it had deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.

In 1983, 63 people were killed in a deadly bomb attack on the US embassy in Beirut. US authorities blame the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for the attack.

After this attack, the embassy was moved from the center of Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar in the north of the capital. On September 20, 1984, the new location was hit by another bomb attack.

In September 2023, Lebanese security forces arrested a Lebanese man who opened fire near the U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries in this attack.

In October 2023, demonstrations in support of the people of the Gaza Strip and the militant group Hamas in the war against Israel led to clashes between hundreds of protesters and Lebanese security forces near the US Embassy.

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Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.