A minor fire broke out after two drones were struck at the US embassy building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of Tuesday, March 3. The Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed that the American consulate building was attacked by drones, which resulted in a small fire and minor damage to the building.
The US Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter-in-place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran. It is limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region. "We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately," the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Unverified Visuals From the Spot
Visuals surfaced on social media show huge clouds of smoke blowing from the structure where suspected Iranian drones were struck.
The blaze erupted after a blast, reported Reuters, citing two sources. According to witnesses who told news agency AFP, very loud explosions were heard, and huge clouds of smoke blowing from the building were seen on Tuesday morning.
This comes after Iran intensifies its targets in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, with waves of missiles and drones in response to US and Israeli strikes that killed over 500 Iranians, including Iran's top officials.
Earlier on Monday, Saudi Arabia temporarily closed its Ras Tanura oil refinery near Dammam after a drone attack. The Saudi Defence Ministry stated that a fire broke out at the oil facility due to debris falling from two drones that had been intercepted.