The Lebanese Army Command announced on Wednesday that it arrested in eastern Lebanon five suspects over links to the shooter who attacked the American embassy in Lebanon earlier in the day.

The arrested include three Syrian nationals who are family members of the shooter, as well as a Syrian and a Lebanese suspected of having a relationship with him, the statement said, adding that raid operations and investigations over the attack on the U.S. embassy are still ongoing.

A Syrian national residing in eastern Lebanon opened fire on Wednesday morning at the American embassy, located in the north of the capital Beirut, before he was shot and wounded. The shooter was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment, according to a statement.

Following the incident, Lebanese Defense Minister Maurice Slim said "the military and security forces are continuing their work to uncover the circumstances of the attack and the parties behind this act," stressing "the readiness of the security services to protect diplomatic missions and headquarters."

Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon issued a statement asking its citizens to closely monitor the website for alerts on urgent developments that may affect internal security.

The statement stressed that "U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the Lebanese-Israeli border area, the Lebanese-Syrian border area, and Palestinian refugee camps throughout Lebanon. They should also avoid demonstrations and exercise caution."

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