Two drones attacked the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of Tuesday, 3 March, causing a fire and some property damage.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense stated on the X platform, citing initial assessments, that the U.S. Embassy was attacked by two drones, resulting in a small fire and property damage, but no injuries have been reported.
This attack occurred amid regional tensions following Iran's missile and drone strikes on Gulf Arab states hosting U.S. military bases, in retaliation for recent U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran last Saturday.
At least three sources reported hearing loud explosions and seeing flames at the embassy in the early morning, with one source describing the fire as minor.
Images showed black smoke rising over Riyadh’s diplomatic district, home to embassies and diplomatic missions from multiple countries. Two sources confirmed no injuries were reported as the embassy building was empty during the early hours.
After the incident, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh issued a “shelter in place” advisory, urging American citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran to remain indoors and avoid traveling to the embassy until further notice due to the attack.
So far, spokespersons for the U.S. Embassy and the Saudi government media office have not provided further comments on the incident.
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