Supporters of the Syrian government threw stones and other objects at Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to the country, when he was meeting with an opposition figure in Damascus, according to media reports.
Ford has repeatedly condemned the Syrian government’s crackdown on protesters, which according to estimates from the United Nations, at least 2,700 people have been killed since March.
A spokesperson for Ford told Al-Jazeera that the ambassador is “safe and sound” following the incident.
Opposition politician Hassan Abdul Azim, told the BBC that the pro-government demonstrators attacked embassy vehicles and they attempted to break into his office. U.S. officials said the “mob was violent” and damaged the vehicles.
The state-run SANA news agency said the Syrian foreign ministry would, in the future, “take necessary procedures to protect the ambassador and ensure his safe return to embassy headquarters.”
Ford angered Damascus when he visited Hama in July and met with opposition leaders, bypassing a ban imposed on foreign diplomats to prevent them from traveling outside the capital without permission.
