DAMASCUS (AFP) - The US embassy in the Syrian capital came under attack, an embassy guard said, as blasts and heavy gunfire were heard from the diplomatic quarter of Damascus.
The guard, contacted by telephone, confirmed the mission was under attack. "This is not the right time," he said, declining to answer questions.
The explosions in the Ain Remmeneh district of Damascus where the US and several other foreign missions are located sent black smoke into the air.
The whole district was cordoned off by Syrian security forces, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said.
A Syrian official said four men who tried to storm the embassy were killed.
Witnesses said at least one Syrian guard was killed and a Syrian official told Reuters all U.S. 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 U.S. State Department in Washington said it was checking the reports and had no immediate information.
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