Security guards at the US embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday fired shots at a man who attacked them with a knife and an axe, an Israeli police spokeswoman said.

"A suspect came to the US embassy at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) with a knife and an axe and attacked a security guard," spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, saying the guard was injured in the leg, prompting his colleagues to open fire.