The US embassy in Riyadh issued a warning on Tuesday about a potential imminent attack in Dhahran, a city in eastern Saudi Arabia known for housing a significant portion of the kingdom's energy facilities along the Gulf coast.
In an official statement posted on its X account, the embassy cautioned about the possibility of missile and UAV attacks targeting Dhahran, advising individuals to avoid visiting the US Consulate.
This alert was issued shortly after the US embassy in Riyadh was targeted by two drones, resulting in a minor fire on the embassy premises amid ongoing retaliatory actions by Iran in the Gulf region.
Earlier in the day, drones struck the US embassy in Riyadh as part of Iran's response to attacks on industrial and diplomatic sites in the Middle East following the killing of Iran's supreme leader in a joint US-Israeli operation. Reporters from AFP observed smoke damage on the embassy's walls and roof in the Saudi capital.
Security measures were heightened in the diplomatic quarter, with Saudi police intensifying checks on individuals entering the area and blocking several roads leading to the US embassy.
Additionally, the Ras Tanura refinery on Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast experienced a partial shutdown due to a drone strike. The refinery, managed by the Saudi state oil company Aramco, is a key facility in the Middle East's energy sector and a vital asset for the kingdom, which is the world's largest oil exporter. Most of Saudi Arabia's oil fields and petroleum infrastructure are situated along the eastern coast, opposite Iran across the Gulf.
