Saudi Defence Ministry says hearth broke out on the embassy, however the diplomatic compound sustained solely ‘minor’ harm.
Printed On 3 Mar 2026
The US Embassy within the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, was hit by two drones and a “restricted hearth” broke out on the diplomatic compound, the Saudi Ministry of Defence has mentioned.
The strike on the US Embassy early on Tuesday additionally prompted “minor materials harm” to the compound, the Defence Ministry mentioned in an announcement, whereas there have been experiences later that extra drones have been concentrating on the positioning amid Iran’s retaliation throughout the Gulf to US-Israeli assaults.
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US President Donald Trump instructed the NewsNation media outlet that the US response to the embassy assault and the killing of 4 American service members would quickly be made clear. “You’ll discover out quickly,” he mentioned.
Black smoke was seen rising over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which homes overseas missions, after the assault, the Reuters information company experiences.
Three folks instructed Reuters {that a} loud blast was heard and flames have been seen on the embassy, although the Saudi Defence Ministry and one of many sources instructed the information company that the hearth within the aftermath of the drone assault was small in scale.
The embassy constructing was empty on the time of the assault, two folks conversant in the matter instructed Reuters, and there have been no experiences of casualties.
A supply near the Saudi army, talking on situation of anonymity, instructed the AFP information company that air defences had intercepted 4 drones concentrating on Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter within the assault.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, mentioned the US president’s behaviour – offering solely snippets of commentary to particular person information organisations, as within the case of the embassy assault – was “unprecedented” at a time when the nation was engaged in a serious battle.
“Since this battle started, he’s been phoning up particular person reporters, dropping little nuggets of knowledge,” Hanna mentioned, including that the US public has obtained little or no info from the president concerning the battle.
“That is totally unprecedented when it comes to how a president conducts himself in a time of battle, and that may be a query that the American public – a big diploma of the American public – are going to be pondering on within the days and weeks and, certainly, months forward,” he mentioned.
Earlier on Tuesday, the US Embassy issued a “shelter in place” discover to US residents within the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran amid the assaults.
“We suggest Americans within the Kingdom to shelter in place instantly and keep away from the Embassy till additional discover because of an assault on the power. The US Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to watch the regional scenario,” the embassy mentioned.
