US Embassy In Riyadh Hit By 2 Iranian Drones, Saudi Govt Says 'Limited Fire'

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia reported early Tuesday that its US Embassy was hit by two Iranian drones, causing minor damage and a “limited fire”.  Meanwhile, Israel and the United States escalated attacks on Iran, with President Donald Trump warning the campaign could last weeks.

A fire broke out at the US embassy in the Saudi capital of Riyadh after a blast, two sources, cited by Reuters, said. This came amid the rapidly mounting hostilities between Iran and the joint front of Israel and the US.

Black smoke was seen ‌rising ⁠over Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions. There were no reported injuries, two of the people familiar with the matter said, given the building was empty in the early morning hours.

Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry has confirmed that a 'limited' fire broke out at the US Embassy in Riyadh after it was hit by two drones. Saudi air defences intercepted four drones targeting Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, a source said, while an attack involving two drones on the US embassy sparked a fire, according to a Saudi defence ministry spokesman.

The ⁠embassy issued a "shelter in place" notice early on Tuesday for U.S. citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, and recommended that they ⁠avoid the embassy until further notice due to the attack on the facility.

The US Embassy in Riyadh was empty at the time of the Iranian drone strike. No injuries have been reported in the incident, it added. The drone attack came amid ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf states that host ⁠U.S. bases, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday.