Four armed men behind assault on embassy

DAMASCUS - Four armed men attacked the United States embassy in Damascus tonight (NZT), but the assault was repelled and Syrian officials said all diplomats were safe.

Smoke was seen rising from the diplomatic area in the Syrian capital and heavy gunfire was heard.

A Syrian official said four men who tried to storm the embassy were killed.

Officials said the four men shouted religious slogans and threw a grenade into the yard of the embassy.

Witnesses said at least one Syrian guard was killed and a Syrian official told Reuters all US diplomats were safe.

The embassy is in the Rawda area, which also houses vital security installations, the houses of senior Syrian officials and other embassies.

The witnesses said Syrian security forces surrounded the embassy building and sealed off the area.

Britain's ambassador to Syria Peter Ford told CNN that the attack did not appear to be a "major al-Qaeda like operation, but an operation by a small group".

The US State Department in Washington said it was checking the reports and had no immediate information.

- REUTERS