Two drones attacked the US embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh early Tuesday, the Saudi Defense Ministry said. The attack caused a fire and damage to the embassy.
A Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman said initial assessments indicated that two drones had targeted the embassy directly, but that air defenses had managed to intercept other attacks on the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh.
The US president, , has been vocal about the attack, telling reporters that the US would respond “soon.” “You’ll know soon,” Trump said, without elaborating on what action would be taken.
The Saudi Defense Ministry also confirmed that firefighters had been seen around the embassy and that the fire had been brought under control. Witnesses said they heard loud explosions and saw smoke billowing from the embassy building, which is located in the diplomatic quarter.
The reports added that Saudi forces intercepted four other planes heading towards the diplomatic quarter. Hours later, the defense ministry announced that eight planes had been shot down near Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj.
The attacks come at a time of heightened military tension in the Gulf, with Iran reportedly carrying out missile and drone attacks on countries in the region. The United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry said it was dealing with ballistic missiles coming from Iran, while Qatar said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles early Tuesday.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the US embassy in Kuwait was also damaged by a drone strike, although no official figures have been released.
Following the Riyadh attack, the US embassy issued a warning to its citizens in the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran, ordering them to stay indoors and restricting non-essential travel to military installations in the region.
The series of attacks has heightened security tensions in the Gulf region, with the international community closely watching how the US will respond to the attack on its embassy in Riyadh.
