Hundreds swarm US embassy in Beirut ahead of Bidens visit to Israel

August 2024 · 4 minute read

Hundreds of Lebanese protesters, including some waving Palestinian flags, swarmed the US Embassy in Beirut on Tuesday evening in response to the massive blast at a Gaza City hospital that reportedly killed hundreds of people.

Police had to deploy tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who gathered outside the embassy hours ahead of President Biden’s arrival in neighboring Israel to show support for the Jewish state in its conflict with the terrorist group Hamas.

One protester was seen on video posted to social media scaling a barbed-wire fence surrounding the building in order to attach a Palestinian flag to the embassy’s flagpole as fellow demonstrators cheered him on from below.

Elsewhere in Beirut, protesters descended on the French Embassy.

The dual demonstrations came just hours after Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah called for “a day of unprecedented anger” in Beirut after the deadly explosion at the Gaza medical center.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry has claimed Israel was responsible for the hospital blast, while the Israel Defense Forces blamed a failed Hamas rocket for the carnage that Gaza authorities said left 500 dead.

The strike marks the deadliest single incident during Israel‘s war against Hamas, which broke out after the terrorist group invaded the Jewish state on Oct. 7 and slaughtered at least 1,400 people.

A Lebanese protester sits outside the US Embassy as a fire rages behind its gates after clashes with Lebanese security forces on Oct. 18, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
A Lebanese protester flashes the victory sign as a fire rages behind the security gate of the US Embassy after clashes with security forces during a demonstration in solidarity with the people of Gaza in Awkar, east of Beirut, on Oct. 17, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Lebanese protesters hang the Palestinian flag and signs on a fence at the US Embassy. REUTERS

Meanwhile, Biden’s trip to Tel Aviv originally included a stop in Amman, Jordan, until the nation’s government canceled in light of the Gaza City attack.

“After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President [Mahmoud] Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President [Abdel Fattah el-] Sisi of Egypt,” the White House said in a statement.

Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel

“The president sent his deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. He looks forward to consulting in person with these leaders soon, and agreed to remain regularly and directly engaged with each of them over the coming days.”

Earlier Monday, the IDF ordered people living in 28 communities near the Lebanese border to evacuate.

Hezbollah has not said whether it would go to war with Israel, though the two countries have launched several attacks on each other since the Israel-Hamas conflict began last week.

People stand in front of a fire that erupted outside the security gate, during clashes between protesters and security forces outside the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 18, 2023. ABBAS SALMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The protesters were hit with tear gas after swarming the embassy. AFP via Getty Images
The demonstrators were protesting the blast at a hospital in Gaza City, which left more than 500 people dead. AFP via Getty Images

The World Health Organization said Monday it has sent two shipments of medical supplies to Beirut in preparation for potential escalation along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Citing the “unpredictable security situation” in Lebanon over the back and forth missile and rocket strikes between Israel and Hezbollah, the US State Department on Tuesday warned Americans not to travel to the country.

Relatives of US government personnel and some non-emergency workers at the embassy in Beirut were also authorized by the State Department to leave Lebanon, according to the travel advisory.

With Post wires

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