A GUNMAN was captured by Lebanese soldiers after attempting to attack the US embassy in north Beirut today.

The incident took place as tensions continued to simmer in Lebanon, where months of cross-border artillery, rocket and drone attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli troops have displaced thousands of people, following years of political deadlock and economic hardship.

A Lebanese military statement said that soldiers had shot and wounded an assailant, described only as a Syrian national, who was taken to hospital.