U.S. Embassy Employees Attacked by Stones in Sidon

A group of angry Lebanese youths on Saturday threw stones and bottles at a group from the U.S. embassy visiting the southern port city of Sidon, a security official said.

A spokesman for the U.S. mission confirmed there had been "an incident."

"The embassy can confirm that a group of employees went to Sidon today on a tourism trip. An incident occurred, and the group returned back to the embassy. No injuries," he said, without elaborating.

Local media had spoken of the presence in the group of the embassy's political attache.

"A group of youths intercepted a U.S. embassy delegation as they left a restaurant and insulted them before throwing stones and empty glass bottles at them," the security source said.

He said the youths accused the members of the group of being "criminals, Israelis... you have soiled the land of resistance and martyrs."

Lebanese security forces accompanying the U.S. group intervened, but stones continued to be thrown, breaking car windows. The army then arrived and arrested three of the attackers, the security official said.