Drones struck the United States embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday while explosions echoed across several Gulf capitals, as Iran expanded retaliatory strikes against industrial and diplomatic targets across the Middle East.
The attacks come four days after joint US and Israeli operations reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, triggering a rapidly escalating regional war marked by missile and drone exchanges across the Gulf.
In Saudi Arabia, AFP reporters observed smoke damage to the exterior walls and roof of the US embassy in the capital.
Security forces sealed off roads around the diplomatic quarter, checking identification documents as police swarmed the area. Saudi authorities condemned the strike, calling it “heinous and unjustified.”
In Bahrain and Qatar, residents reported hearing explosions and air raid sirens. Iranian armed forces announced strikes on targets in Israel and on the major US air base at Al-Udeid in Qatar.
Qatari officials said attempted attacks on Hamad International Airport were thwarted.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Mohammad Naini, warned that “the gates of hell will open more and more, moment by moment, upon the United States and Israel,” signaling the potential for further escalation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he was “deeply shocked” by the mounting civilian toll.
Meanwhile, the UN nuclear watchdog indicated that satellite imagery showed “recent damage” at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
Overnight, powerful explosions rocked Tehran as fighter jets flew overhead. US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington is prepared to intensify its military campaign if necessary.
The US State Department on Monday urged Americans to “DEPART NOW” from countries across the Middle East, citing serious safety risks.
In Lebanon, Israel resumed airstrikes on alleged Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut after the Iran-backed militia fired rockets in support of Tehran.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said forces had been authorised to advance and secure additional strategic positions in southern Lebanon to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities.
A Lebanese army source said Israeli troops appeared to be attempting to establish a broader security belt near the town of Kfar Kila.
The expanding conflict has rattled energy markets and prompted governments worldwide to begin evacuating citizens, as fears grow that the fighting could further destabilize the region’s critical oil and gas infrastructure.
and then