President Donald Trump has issued a terse warning to Iran after a drone attack hit the U.S. embassy compound in Riyadh, as the conflict between Washington and Tehran widened across the Gulf and prompted fresh U.S. warnings for Americans to leave parts of the Middle East.
Asked by the broadcaster NewsNation how the United States planned to respond, Trump replied: “You’ll find out soon.” He later repeated: “You’ll find out very soon.”
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said the U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones, causing a limited fire and some material damage, citing an initial assessment. Witnesses described hearing a loud blast and seeing flames at the complex, while black smoke rose over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions, according to people familiar with the incident. There were no reported injuries, and the building was empty in the early morning hours, two of those people said.
The embassy issued a “shelter in place” notice for U.S. citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran and advised Americans to avoid the embassy until further notice. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and a U.S. embassy spokesperson did not immediately respond.
The Riyadh strike came amid Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. forces, according to Reuters, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend. Those strikes triggered a broader regional escalation, with Iran and allied militias stepping up attacks on U.S. and Israeli-linked targets, and with Washington and Jerusalem intensifying operations against Iranian military infrastructure.
U.S. officials said the latest attack on a diplomatic site underscored growing concerns that embassies and consular facilities could become targets as the conflict deepens. The U.S. government has ordered non-emergency diplomatic personnel and family members to leave several countries in the region, including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan, and closed multiple missions, Reuters reported. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said it would remain closed until further notice, with appointments cancelled, while the U.S. Embassy in Israel said it was not in a position to evacuate Americans and urged citizens to make their own security plans.
The State Department also issued a broader warning to U.S. citizens across more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar wrote on X that the department “urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks.” The advisory applied to Americans in countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The embassy strike in Riyadh came as U.S. officials reported further casualties among American forces involved in operations against Iran. U.S. Central Command said six U.S. service members had been killed in military operations tied to the conflict. The identities of those killed were not released, with officials saying families needed to be notified.
In comments to NewsNation, Trump said the U.S. military was continuing what he described as large-scale operations and claimed U.S. forces were inflicting “tremendous damage” on Iran. “We’re doing a lot of damage. We’re setting them back a lot,” he said, describing operations as “ahead of schedule” and pointing to strikes on missile systems and nuclear capabilities. When asked about the possibility of deploying U.S. ground troops, he suggested it was unlikely while not ruling out future steps. “No, it’s a part of war. It’s part of war, whether people like it or not,” he said when asked if he feared attacks on American sites or on U.S. soil.
The Pentagon has described the current campaign as designed to reduce Iran’s ability to strike regional targets and degrade capabilities it says pose risks to U.S. forces and allies. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation aimed to destroy Iran’s missile threat, dismantle its naval power and ensure there are “no nukes.” Standing alongside Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth described the mission as “clear, devastating and decisive.”
The White House has portrayed the campaign as a response to what it says were growing threats from Iran and allied forces, while Tehran has framed the U.S. and Israeli strikes as an attack on its sovereignty and has sought to widen the conflict through retaliatory strikes across the region. The widening confrontation has heightened fears of further attacks on diplomatic facilities, military bases, and critical infrastructure in Gulf states, and has complicated security planning for governments hosting foreign missions and U.S. forces.
The U.S. embassy attack in Saudi Arabia marked a significant escalation because the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh is heavily secured and hosts numerous foreign embassies and official residences. Reuters reported that Saudi air defences intercepted drones as they targeted the area, and that the defence ministry said the strike resulted in limited damage. A source close to the Saudi military, speaking on condition of anonymity to AFP, said air defences had intercepted four drones targeting the Diplomatic Quarter.
The attack also raised questions about the security of U.S. facilities and personnel in the Gulf, where American forces operate from bases in several countries and where shipping routes are critical to global energy markets. In a separate incident, Oman’s state news agency reported that a fuel tank at the commercial port of Duqm was hit in a drone attack, causing limited material damage and no casualties.
U.S. officials have warned for years that drones and cruise missiles have shifted the balance of risk in the region, giving state and non-state actors the ability to strike at long range with relatively low cost and, in some cases, limited warning. The embassy strike and broader wave of missile and drone launches has pushed regional governments to review air defence readiness and to reassess security measures at diplomatic compounds, airports and key infrastructure.
The United States has longstanding security ties with Saudi Arabia and maintains a significant diplomatic footprint in the kingdom, including the embassy in Riyadh and consular operations in other cities. The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has previously issued security alerts during periods of heightened regional tension, and the “shelter in place” instruction issued after the Riyadh strike reflected the U.S. assessment that further attacks could follow.
For Trump, the embassy strike added to pressure to show resolve while trying to limit the risk of a wider war. His four-word response, “You’ll find out soon,” offered few details but signalled that Washington intended to retaliate. U.S. officials have also stressed that operational specifics will not be disclosed in advance, arguing that publicising details could endanger forces and complicate efforts to protect diplomatic sites and civilians.
As the conflict entered another day, governments across the region moved to tighten security, airlines reviewed flight schedules, and U.S. officials expanded travel guidance. The State Department urged Americans to rely on commercial travel where possible and to monitor official alerts, while warning that embassy capacity and assistance could be limited as missions adjust staffing. With the U.S. embassy compound in Riyadh damaged and the risk of further strikes apparent, diplomats and security officials prepared for the possibility that other diplomatic facilities could face similar threats in the days ahead.