The US embassy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, was hit by a drone attack on Tuesday night, Danish time.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense reported this, according to the Reuters news agency.
- According to preliminary assessments, the US embassy in Riyadh was attacked with two drones. The attack resulted in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Reuters writes that there was no one at the embassy when the attack occurred.
The US embassy confirmed on Tuesday morning that it had been attacked. In a statement, the embassy said that it was temporarily closing, the AFP news agency reports.
Powerful explosions and smoke
Previously, the embassy urged all American citizens in Saudi Arabia on the social media X to seek shelter.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark has updated its travel advice after the attack.
- The situation is serious and unpredictable. Stay indoors and pay extra attention to your personal safety, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes on its website.
Several witnesses had shortly before told both Reuters and the AFP news agency that they had heard powerful explosions and observed black smoke from the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh.
This is the place in the capital where foreign embassies and residences for foreign diplomats are located.
Trump to announce response
A Saudi military source told AFP that Saudi Arabia's air defenses had intercepted four drones heading towards the area where foreign embassies are located in Riyadh.
US President Donald Trump told a journalist from the American media outlet News Nation that they would soon know how the US would respond to the attack in Riyadh. Reuters reports.
Iran has attacked a number of US targets in the past 24 hours, including in the Gulf countries.
This is in response to the extensive US and Israeli attacks on Iran, which began over the weekend.
The unrest has brought air traffic to a standstill
The US launched a large-scale airstrike against Iran on Saturday in cooperation with Israel. Several senior Iranian leaders have since been killed, including Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Qatar's Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday night that it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles heading towards the country. AFP reports.
The regional unrest in the Middle East has, among other things, brought air traffic to a standstill. Several hubs for international travelers have been paralyzed by the war, and thousands of flights have been canceled.
/ritzau/
