An American woman working as a nurse in the Lebanese port city of Sidon has been shot and killed.
Lebanese police say the woman, Bonnie Whiterall, was fatally shot in the head by a gunman.
Beirut's National Broadcasting Network reported that Ms. Whiterall was an evangelical Protestant missionary who worked as a nurse at a missionary clinic.
The motive for the attack is unknown, and the U.S. has declined to comment, saying it is investigating the crime.
The Lebanese port city of Sidon, where the killing occurred, is known to be a hotbed of Muslim fundamentalist and terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Lebanese radicals opposed to U.S. support of Israel.
The State Department has recently warned of potential terrorist actions against U.S. citizens abroad, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.