US embassy in Riyadh hit by drones, Americans urged to 'depart now' from Middle East
Washington is asking Americans to leave using commercial flights, although air travel has been severely disrupted in parts of the region.
The US embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones, resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday (3 March), citing an initial assessment.
The drone attack came amid ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf states that host US bases, following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, reports Reuters.
A loud blast was heard and flames were seen at the US embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday morning, three people familiar with the matter said. One of them described the fire as minor. Black smoke was seen rising over Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
There were no reported injuries, two of the people said, noting that the building was largely empty in the early morning hours.
The embassy issued a "shelter in place" notice early Tuesday for US citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, advising them to avoid the embassy until further notice due to the attack on the facility.
An embassy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Saudi government media office.
US urges Americans to 'depart now'
The United States on Monday urged Americans to leave much of the Middle East, from Egypt eastward, citing serious safety risks after US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory attacks across the region.
The State Department "urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks," Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, wrote on X, listing 14 countries, reports AFP.
For now, Washington is asking Americans to leave using commercial flights, although air travel has been severely disrupted in parts of the region. The United States has not organised its own evacuations.
The advisory included Egypt, which has had tense relations with Iran's Islamic Republic but has seen limited direct impact so far. It also listed all Gulf Arab monarchies, long regarded as stable commercial and transportation hubs. Iran has been firing drones and missiles at these countries in retaliation for hosting US troops.
The United States also urged Americans to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, all of which have been affected by the war.
