By Abiola Olawale
In a significant escalation of Middle East hostilities, the United States Embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones early Tuesday morning, March 3, 2026.
The attack, allegedly attributed to Iranian forces, triggered a fire and prompted an immediate security lockdown of diplomatic facilities across the Kingdom.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed that the strike occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, targeting the embassy located within Riyadh’s high-security Diplomatic Quarter.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence said two drones hit the embassy compound in the early hours of Tuesday, causing “minor material damage” and “a small fire”.
Plumes of black smoke were seen rising over Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, which houses several foreign missions.
A loud blast was heard and flames were visible at the site, though authorities described the fire as limited in scale.
The embassy building was reportedly empty at the time of the attack and no casualties were recorded.
Air defence systems were said to have intercepted four drones targeting the diplomatic quarter during the assault.
The embassy later urged American citizens to avoid the compound.
The strike followed a separate incident at the US embassy in Kuwait, which announced it would remain closed until further notice.
The US State Department also ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and families from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, and Jordan as a precaution.
US President Donald Trump told reporters that Washington’s response to the embassy attack and the killing of American service members would soon be clear.
“You’ll find out soon,” he said.
The embassy strike came amid an escalation of hostilities across the Gulf region.
Iran has launched drone and missile attacks on targets in countries hosting American military assets, describing the operations as retaliation for joint US-Israeli strikes on its territory.
