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Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons on Sunday at demonstrators near the US embassy as they protested Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

An AFP correspondent in Awkar outside the capital Beirut said several hundred anti-Israel demonstrators had gathered near the US embassy, located in the area.

They were blocked from reaching the complex by a metal gate sealing the road leading to the embassy, and security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to repel demonstrators who tried to open the gate by force.

Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Likewise, a group of demonstrators set alight an effigy of the US president.

Several people were injured by rocks and tear gas, the correspondent said.

There was no immediate comment from security forces.