US embassy in Riyadh hit by drones

2026-03-03 - 01:43

The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit ​by two drones resulting in a limited fire ‌and some material damage, the kingdom’s defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment. The ​drone attack came amid ongoing Iranian missile ​and drone strikes on Gulf states that host ⁠U.S. bases, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran ​on Saturday. A loud blast was heard and flames were seen at the U.S. embassy in Riyadh early on ​Tuesday morning, three people familiar with the matter said, ​with one person saying the fire was minor. Black smoke was seen ‌rising ⁠over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions. There were no reported injuries, two of the people familiar with the matter said, given the building was empty ​in the early ​morning hours. The ⁠embassy issued a “shelter in place” notice early on Tuesday for U.S. citizens in ​Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, and recommended that ​they ⁠avoid the embassy until further notice due to the attack on the facility. An embassy spokesperson did not immediately respond ⁠to ​a request for comment, nor ​did the Saudi government media office.