By Serdar Dincel
ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Embassy in Riyadh said it is closed Tuesday following a drone attack, canceling all routine and emergency American Citizen Services appointments.
“The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia is closed on Tuesday, March 3. All routine and emergency American Citizen Services appointments are cancelled,” the embassy said on the US social media platform X.
It added that a shelter-in-place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran remains in effect, recommending that American citizens in the Kingdom continue to shelter in place.
The embassy urged people to avoid the compound until further notice due to the recent attack and said it continues to limit non-essential travel to military installations in the region.
It also encouraged US citizens to review the latest security alerts, reassess travel plans for potential disruptions and maintain a personal safety plan.
Earlier, the US Embassy in the Saudi capital was targeted in a drone attack that caused a limited fire and minor material damage but no casualties, according to the Saudi Defense Ministry.
The incident comes amid escalating tensions following a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran launched Saturday. Airstrikes have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response, Tehran has carried out drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.