Newsletters
A suspected Iranian drone strike hit the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)'s station housed within the U.S. Embassy compound in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday, causing significant structural damage, including a partial roof collapse.
Tehran expanded its retaliatory campaign to target American diplomatic and intelligence facilities across the Gulf.
Breaking News, Direct to You.
Follow Türkiye Today on WhatsApp
for real-time updates and key insights from Türkiye and beyond.
Two suspected Iranian drones struck the U.S. Embassy complex in Riyadh, with the CIA's intelligence hub among the targets hit, the Washington Post reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
An additional two suspected drones struck "at or near" the embassy, another source told CNN.
An internal State Department alert obtained by the Post indicated that the attack caused part of the embassy's roof to collapse and filled the interior with smoke, leaving the building with structural damage.
"Embassy personnel were sheltering in place at the time. There were no CIA casualties, though there was significant damage to the building," a source familiar with the matter said.
While both the U.S. and Saudi governments acknowledged the drones struck the embassy complex, neither disclosed that the CIA station was among the targets, the Post reported.
The Saudi Defense Ministry described the attack as causing "limited fire and minor material damage."
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later said it had begun efforts to destroy "American political centers" in the region.
"The explosion at the Washington embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is a move in this direction," the IRGC posted on Telegram.
Saudi Arabia said it shot down nine drones that entered its airspace and destroyed two cruise missiles in the al-Kharj region southeast of Riyadh.
The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a virtual session, said the kingdom would take "all necessary measures to defend its security and safeguard its territory, citizens and residents."
A drone struck a parking lot adjacent to the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, setting part of the building on fire, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the Capitol.
"All personnel are accounted for. As you're aware, we began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this," Rubio said.
The Dubai government confirmed on social media that a fire from a "drone-related incident" near the consulate had been contained with no injuries.
Rubio said U.S. embassies and diplomatic facilities in the region were under "direct attack from a terroristic regime." He said approximately 9,000 Americans had evacuated the Middle East since Saturday, with about 1,500 to 1,600 more requesting assistance.
Asked why the operation against Iran was launched this weekend, Rubio said it presented "a unique opportunity to take joint action against this threat" with "the highest probability of success."
He explained the administration knew military action would provoke Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces and that preemptive strikes were necessary to reduce American casualties.
Trump denied that Israel forced his hand into launching strikes. "No, I might have forced their hand," he said during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.
"We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. If we didn't do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that," he stated.
1 min read
The United Arab Emirates said it had been subjected to over 1,000 attacks from Iran — more than any other targeted country, the foreign affairs ministry said.
The UAE affirmed its right to self-defense under international law.
Qatar's Defense Ministry said late Tuesday that an Iranian ballistic missile struck Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, without causing casualties.
Qatar was targeted by two ballistic missiles, with air defense systems intercepting one while the second fell on the base southwest of Doha, the ministry said.
Since the start of Iranian attacks, Qatar said it had detected three cruise missiles, 101 ballistic missiles, and 39 kamikaze drones heading toward its airspace, intercepting all missiles and 24 drones.
Iran has struck luxury hotels in Dubai and Bahrain, residential areas in Doha, military sites and energy infrastructure in Kuwait, and vital seaports in Oman, in addition to the diplomatic and oil targets in Saudi Arabia.
Nearly 800 people have been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran since Saturday, according to Iranian figures.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
