The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday claimed its naval forces carried out a โcomplex attack with drones and missilesโ targeting American forces in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates The IRGC also claimed a drone attack on the Arifjan Base in Kuwait. In the meanwhile, local reports claimed that two new blasts in Riyadhโs diplomatic quarter after Saudi authorities confirmed a strike on the US embassy in the city.
Check latest developments of the US-Israel-Ran conflict in the Middle East
US embassy in Saudi issues shelter in place notice
The US authorities urged Americans in several cities in Saudi Arabia to shelter in place and avoid the countryโs embassy in Riyadh after the facility was struck by two drones. โThe US 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 โ 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,โ the embassy said in a social media post.
The development comes as the Israel and the United States pounded Iran in an escalating campaign that US President Donald Trump said on Monday would likely take several weeks.
Tehran and its allies hit back across the region, striking Israel and a variety of targets inside Gulf states, including energy facilities in Qatar and the American embassy in Saudi Arabia.
The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded around the globe
Safe havens in the Mideast like Dubai have seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of airline passengers are stranded around the globe; energy prices shot up; and US allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones.
US Embassy in Riyadh comes under attack
Saudi Arabia said early Tuesday that the US Embassy in Riyadh came under attack from two drones, which caused a “limited fire” and minor damage.
A diplomatic quarter resident in the neighborhood of the embassy who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the security situation described light smoke coming from the embassy. On Monday, the US Embassy compound in Kuwait was struck.
Trump says operations are likely to last four to five weeks
With no sign of the conflict abating, Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”
In a sign of concern over the potential for spiraling violence, the State Department on Monday urged US citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks.
“The hardest hits are yet to come from the US military,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters. “The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now.”
Trump said the military campaign’s objectives are to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its navy, prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that it cannot continue to support allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel on Monday.
The chaos of the conflict became apparent when the US military said Kuwait had “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15E Strike Eagles while Iran was attacking with aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. US Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely.
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