Elias Bejjani: ISIS (Daech) and Hezbollah are two ٍsides of the mullahs-Assad axis coin, and they are most likely behind the attack on the American embassy in Lebanon
ISIS (Daech) and Hezbollah are two ٍsides of the mullahs-Assad axis coin, and they are most likely behind the attack on the American embassy in Lebanon Elias Bejjani/June 05, 2024
There is no doubt that the terrorist attack on the American embassy in Awkar (Lebanon) that took place today is a diabolical act that is condemned and denounced. In this realm, it is necessary to identify and prosecute the aggressors, those behind them, and those who armed and facilitated their arrival at the Awkar embassy locations with weapons. Presumably, Hezbollah and ISIS are most likely the ones who carried out the attack on the American embassy in Awkar today.
In reality, ISIS is an intelligence construct devised by the Iranian and Syrian rulers (the axis of resistance), tailored to their needs of terrorism, and as a terrorist tool for the Iranian expansion schemes. Furthermore, there is no independent organization called ISIS; it is an Assad-Mullah tool, much like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Based on previous and similar terrorist attacks, the Iranian-Syrian axis of evil could be the one who orchestrated today’s attack on the American embassy.
It is crucial to highlight that the US administration (Biden-Obama) bears responsibility for this incident because it protects, cajoles, finances, and advocates for the mullahs’ regime, and at the same time flatters Hezbollah, and condones its occupation of Lebanon.
Background U.S. Embassy Beirut X site/June 05/2024
At 8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the U.S. Embassy. Thanks to the quick reaction of the LAF, ISF, and our Embassy security team, our facility and our team are safe. Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement.
US Embassy Shooting: Five People Arrested
This Is Beirut/June 05/2024
The Lebanese army, backed by state security, arrested five people suspected of involvement in the gunfire shooting that targeted the US embassy in Awkar earlier Wednesday. One Lebanese and four Syrians were arrested in Majdal Anjar and Souayri, in the Bekaa region, during searches carried out following the attack in the two villages, according to a statement from the Lebanese army. Among the suspects, Qatada Farraj, the brother of the assailant, Qays Farraj, and a Syrian cleric who is believed to have indoctrinated him. Explosive devices and bomb-making materials were found at the home of Qatada Farraj.
According to the Lebanese army, the shooter is of Syrian nationality, Qayss Farraj, and he is registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In a publication on X, the army reported that “the soldiers deployed in the area responded to the shots fired, wounding the gunman, who was arrested and transferred to hospital.”A judicial source quoted by Agence France Presse (AFP), said the attacker claimed to have acted “in support of the people of Gaza.”
Three other people were also arrested by the security forces, according to the local Al Jadeed TV channel, which reported that they are all affiliated with the jihadist group Islamic State (Daech). The National News Agency said State Security in the Bekaa region succeeded in arresting the shooter’s brother in coordination with the intelligence directorate. “On the advice of the public prosecutor at the Bekaa Court of Appeal, Judge Mounif Barakat, the detainee was handed over to the competent authorities and the investigation began,” the agency said. Following the attack, the Lebanese army carried out searches in Majdel Anjar and Souayra in the Bekaa. In turn, the US embassy announced it will be closed to the public for the rest of Wednesday, in a security alert issued early this afternoon. It plans to open “as usual” on Thursday, according to a statement. In this context, U.S. citizens residing in Lebanon have been advised to follow the alerts on Travel.State.Gov and to closely monitor the news for the latest developments that may affect homeland security. Under the Travel.State.Gov guide to Lebanon, U.S. citizens are requested to avoid traveling to the border areas between Lebanon and Israel, and between Lebanon and Syria, as well as to refugee camps. They are also advised to “avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests”, reads the embassy website. Earlier in the morning, the US embassy said that “small arms fire was reported near the entrance to the US embassy at 8:34am”. “Thanks to the rapid response of the Lebanese Army, the Internal Security Forces and the embassy security team, our facilities and staff are safe,” read a statement on X. “Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with the host country’s law enforcement agencies,” the text said.
Gunman Detained After Opening Fire Outside U.S. Embassy in Lebanon Dan Ladden-Hall/The Daily Beast/ June 5, 2024
A gunman was detained after opening fire outside the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday, the Lebanese army said. The military said in a statement that the embassy had been “exposed to gunfire” by a Syrian national who was wounded by troops who responded to the incident. The army added that the gunman had been arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. Israel Strikes Deep Inside Lebanon After Hezbollah Takes Out Drone. The embassy, which is located in a secured area north of Beirut, said “small arms fire” was reported “in the vicinity” of its entrance at 8:34 a.m. local time. It did not report any casualties among its staff and praised the quick reaction of its security team and Lebanese troops. Images published in Lebanese media show the attacker covered in blood and wearing a black vest bearing the words “Islamic State” in Arabic along with the English letters “I” and “S,” according to the Associated Press, though a motive for the attack has not yet been confirmed. Local reports also suggested that a gunfight involving at least one assailant went on for almost half an hour, and a video circulating on social media appears to show a gunman in a parking lot near the embassy’s entrance firing what looked like an assault rifle, according to the AP. A Lebanese security source separately told Reuters that soldiers wounded the gunman in the stomach. Shots were fired near the American embassy in September, though no injuries were reported in connection with that incident. Last year, CNN reported that the sprawling embassy complex located about eight miles from the center of Beirut was causing controversy given its size and “opulence” in the impoverished country. The incident came 40 years after the 1983 bombing of the former U.S. embassy site in the Lebanese capital which left 63 people dead—an attack that American officials blamed on Hezbollah. The militant group is currently involved in fighting with Israeli forces along Lebanon’s southern border, displacing tens of thousands of people in both Lebanon and Israel. Gunman shot, wounded after attempted assault on U.S. Embassy in Beirut
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY/Wed, June 5, 2024
A Syrian national was shot, wounded and captured outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Wednesday following a 30-minute gun fight during which the assailant sought to attack the diplomatic compound. The incident was first reported by Lebanese media. The alleged shooter’s motives were not immediately clear. Nor was it clear whether other alleged attackers took part in the attempted siege. Photos published online and in social media appeared to show the alleged attacker who was captured wearing a black vest with the words “Islamic State” written on it in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S.”
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut said in a social media post that “our facility and our team are safe.”Lebanese army forces turn back motorists as they close a road near the US Embassy in Beirut on June 5, 2024, after a Syrian man was arrested following a shooting near the embassy.Lebanese army forces turn back motorists as they close a road near the US Embassy in Beirut on June 5, 2024, after a Syrian man was arrested following a shooting near the embassy. The attempted attack, which saw Lebanon’s army come to the embassy’s defense, took place amid heightened tensions in Lebanon because of the war between Israel and Hamas. Months of near-daily tit-for-tat shelling and fighting between the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and Israeli troops has displaced thousands of people along the border. The U.S. diplomatic mission is located in a suburb north of Beirut.
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut has been targeted by multiple attacks over the years. A 1983 suicide truck bombing killed 63 people, including 17 Americans. That attack was claimed by the Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. In years past, American diplomatic missions have also been attacked in Kenya, Tanzania and elsewhere. A 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other U.S. diplomats.
Intense forest fires broke out in northern Israel on Tuesday following a surge of rocket and drone strikes fired from Lebanon. The fires prompted evacuations in Israel’s northern city of Kiryat Shmona. “Yesterday the ground burned here and I am pleased that you have extinguished it, but ground also burned in Lebanon. We are prepared for very intense action in the north,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday during a visit to Kiryat Shmona. Israel has been warning for months that it may eventually open a second formal front against Hezbollah in Lebanon connected to, but separate from, its war in Gaza with Hamas.
