Two Iranian drones slammed into the U.S. Embassy compound in Riyadh early Tuesday, igniting a limited fire and causing minor structural damage, Saudi authorities confirmed.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said preliminary assessments showed the embassy was directly hit by two drones, resulting in a contained blaze within the Diplomatic Quarter. No casualties were reported. Hours later, Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed eight additional drones targeting areas near the capital and the city of Al-Kharj, the ministry announced via spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki.
In response, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh closed to the public, canceled all appointments, and issued an immediate shelter-in-place order for American citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran. “Avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,” the embassy stated on social media. Non-essential travel to military sites was also restricted.
The strike followed a similar drone attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait the previous day, which prompted that mission’s closure “until further notice.” Both incidents form part of a widening Iranian retaliation campaign across the Gulf after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, including reported operations that have disrupted regional oil and gas flows.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in the “strongest terms,” calling it a “cowardly” Iranian assault on its territory.
U.S. officials described the drones as Iranian-origin, fitting a pattern of Tehran targeting American assets hosted by Gulf partners.
The assault has heightened fears of broader spillover. Washington has ordered non-emergency personnel and families to depart several Gulf states, while urging all U.S. citizens in the region to “depart now.”
Airspace closures and commercial flight disruptions have stranded many travelers.
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