US Embassy in Beirut on high alert after potential threat: What actually happened

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Was the U.S. Embassy in Beirut really about to be targeted on Friday? The question arose after a security alert inside the embassy compound forced employees to take shelter for about 15 minutes.

According to available information, the alert was not local but originated in the United States as part of a centralized warning system activated when there is intelligence about a potential threat to a U.S. embassy in regions experiencing military escalation. As such, the warning did not necessarily indicate that the embassy in Lebanon was the intended target.

Within minutes, staff complied with security procedures before being instructed to leave the shelters once the threat at the suspected target location had passed.

So far, there is no official information confirming which embassy or facility was the potential target. However, reports have circulated of threats affecting more than one diplomatic mission in the region, including the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

What is certain is that this was not a routine drill, as is often conducted inside the embassy, particularly during periods of conflict. Rather, it was a real alert that prompted immediate mobilization and direct communication with the Lebanese army deployed around the embassy.

According to the information, the embassy notified the army of a possible threat and asked whether any suspicious movement had been detected in its direction. The army confirmed that it had not identified any threat in its vicinity.

This development comes as the U.S. Embassy has been issuing near-daily statements urging Americans not to travel to Lebanon and advising those already in the country to prepare for any emergency, citing the volatile, unstable security situation and potential risks to institutions linked to the United States, including universities.