US embassy in Riyadh under attack as Iran steps up Saudi strikes
The attack has resulted in ‘limited fire and minor material damage to the building’, says Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense
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[RIYADH] Two drones struck near the US Embassy in Riyadh, pulling Saudi Arabia into a widening conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel, and prompting US President Donald Trump to vow retaliation.
He told American cable news network NewsNation the US will hit back, saying “you will find out soon” on the form of the attack. He added that it will likely not be necessary to put boots on the ground.
The embassy incident resulted in a “limited fire and minor material damage to the building”, said Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense on X.
That prompted the US to issue a new shelter-in-place order for Riyadh and Jeddah, while maintaining one for Dhahran in the eastern province.
The US State Department has also urged American citizens to leave countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.
Soon after the first confirmed incidents on Tuesday (Mar 3) morning in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, where the US embassy is based, residents reported hearing loud bangs in the capital, suggesting more activity.
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A few hours later, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said on X that its forces intercepted and destroyed eight drones near the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj.
The country risks being dragged deeper into the Middle East conflict that began over the weekend, as Iran appears to be escalating the pace of its attacks on the kingdom.
On Monday, state oil behemoth Saudi Aramco shut down the country’s largest oil refinery after a drone attack in the area.
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Riyadh also reported intercepting multiple drones heading for a US air base about 96.6 km outside the capital.
The attack on the US embassy is the first major incident in Saudi Arabia’s main city, which has eight million people – since Iran began striking its Gulf neighbors on Saturday in response to the US-Israeli bombardment.
Trump has mentioned that the attack on Iran, which began after he said Teheran refused to renounce nuclear weapons, may last for weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the “hardest hits” are yet to come.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic continued to fire projectiles around the Middle East in response to the US-Israeli attack. BLOOMBERG
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