Iranian drones hit the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, causing a fire and damage to the building on Monday.
“The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh was subjected to an attack by two drones according to initial estimates, resulting in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building,” said the Saudi Ministry of Defense.
In a post on X, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said that a “shelter in place” order has been issued for Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran, along with limited “non-essential travel to any military installations in the region.”
“We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately. The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to monitor the regional situation,” it continued.
An official later told Fox that no officials were present at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh around the time of the strike. According to Kellie Meyer of News Nation, President Donald Trump said, “You’ll find soon what the retaliation will be for the attack on the U.S. embassy in Riyadh and for the U.S. service members killed.”
As Breitbart News reported on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Americans in over a dozen countries in the Middle East to leave as soon as possible due to serious safety concerns amid the escalating conflict in Iran. The order came after Iran escalated missile attacks in the Middle East when the United States and Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attack over the weekend. As the New York Times reported, Iran directed its fire onto various U.S. bases throughout the Gulf region:
Iran has struck at least six U.S. military facilities around the Middle East since the United States and Israel began attacking the country on Saturday, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery, verified videos and statements by U.S. military officials.
It’s unclear how many munitions Iran launched at the locations or how many attacks may have been thwarted, but the incidents raise questions about these sites’ abilities to defend against future strikes.
Facilities in Bahrain, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, plus three sites in Kuwait, were hit on Saturday and Sunday. Several structures, including satellite communications equipment, were damaged or destroyed.
According to the Military Times, at least six U.S. service members have been killed, with another 18 wounded. President Trump said the death toll will likely rise as the conflict escalates over the next three to four weeks.
“Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” the president said in a six-minute video. “[W]e’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case, but America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization.”
