US Embassy Compound in Riyadh Attacked; Trump Says ‘You’ll Find Out Soon’

The US Embassy compound in Riyadh was struck by two Iranian drones late Monday night, triggering a fire and causing material damage, Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said early Tuesday. No injuries were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time of the attack.

In a post on X, the Saudi Defence Ministry said an initial assessment confirmed that two drones hit the embassy premises, leading to a blaze that was later brought under control. Authorities have not clarified whether the drones were intercepted or how they managed to breach air defences over the capital.

The strike comes amid intensifying hostilities across the Middle East, now in their fourth consecutive day. The latest escalation began after coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, followed by Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting US and Israeli bases across the Gulf region.

US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning following the embassy strike. Speaking in an interview with NewsNation, Trump said, “You’ll find out soon what the retaliation will be,” signalling a possible response from Washington. His remarks also referenced the deaths of US military personnel in the ongoing confrontation.

Shortly after the incident, the US Embassy issued a “shelter in place” advisory for American citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, urging them to avoid visiting the mission until further notice.

Reuters reported that it could not independently verify the circumstances surrounding the embassy strike. An embassy spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The attack unfolded as Iran continued missile and drone strikes across the region, targeting Gulf nations hosting US military bases. The conflict sharply escalated following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli airstrikes, triggering waves of retaliation from Tehran.

Meanwhile, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remains operational. However, flight operations across the Gulf have been significantly disrupted due to widespread airspace closures. According to The Guardian, hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar remained largely empty as of Monday. Several Gulf airports and airlines have suspended regular operations until at least 3 pm IST on Tuesday, although a limited number of special flights have resumed from the UAE since Monday evening.

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