The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh reportedly was hit by two drones, causing “minor material damage.” “In his first reaction to the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, President Trump told me, ‘you’ll find out soon,’ what his retaliation will be,” NewsNation White House correspondent Kellie Meyer said. In his first reaction to the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, President Trump told me, "you'll find out soon," what his retaliation will be. https://t.co/gWajurtUVT — Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) March 3, 2026 Al Jazeera explained further: Black smoke was ⁠seen rising over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions, after the attack, the Reuters news agency reports. Three people told Reuters that a loud blast was heard and flames were seen at the embassy, though the Saudi Defence Ministry and one of the sources told the news agency that the fire in the aftermath of the drone attack was small in scale. The embassy building was empty at the time of the attack, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, and there were no reports of casualties. A source close to the Saudi military, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that air defences had intercepted four drones targeting Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter in the attack. “The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region – we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately and avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,” U.S. Embassy Riyadh stated. “The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to monitor the regional situation. We encourage all travelers to review our most recent Security Alerts, review any travel plans in case of disruptions, and make appropriate decisions to keep themselves and their families safe. We advise all U.S. citizens to maintain a personal safety plan. Crises can happen unexpectedly while traveling or living abroad, and a good plan helps you think through potential scenarios and determine in advance the best course of action,” it added. Update | Security Alert: Shelter in Place – U.S. Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (Mar.3, 2026) The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations… — U.S. Embassy Riyadh (@USAinKSA) March 3, 2026 DW has more: The attack on the US embassy in Riyadh were part of a wave of missiles and drones launched at Gulf states on Monday night to Tuesday. Just after midnight local time, Israel’s military said it was working to intercept a large wave of missiles launched from Iran targeting multiple locations, including Jerusalem. The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it was dealing with a barrage of ballistic missiles coming from Iran, while Qatar’s defence ministry said it intercepted two ballistic missiles early Tuesday morning. Fresh explosions were heard later in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday morning, news agencies report. Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry posted just after 6 a.m. local time (3:00 GMT) on Tuesday that it had “intercepted and destroyed” eight near Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) southeast of the capital. According to a statement issued by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, Iran also targeted Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain overnight.