U.S. Embassy Riyadh Hit by Drones

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh sustained minor material damage after being struck by two Iranian drones on Tuesday, according to a Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson. The attack caused a limited fire but no injuries were reported. The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia issued a “shelter in place” alert for Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran, warning American citizens to avoid the embassy and limiting non-essential travel to military installations. Assistant Secretary of State Mora Namdar also urged U.S. citizens to “DEPART NOW” from multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Yemen, and Jordan.

The attacks followed weekend U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. U.S. Central Command reported that American forces had “destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, along with other targets.” Simultaneously, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed “conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut,” as Hezbollah fired several missiles from Lebanon toward Israel.

Iranian strikes expanded across the Gulf. The UAE reported its air defenses “dealing with a barrage of ballistic missiles coming from Iran.” Iranian drones also struck an Australian military facility south of Dubai, though all personnel were accounted for, according to Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles. Qatar reported shooting down two Iranian fighter aircraft, and Bahrain activated sirens across the state.