Scale of damage at US embassy in Riyadh after Shahed strikes revealed – WSJ

The US embassy in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia sustained more extensive damage from Shahed-type drone strikes than was previously known.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, citing sources among officials, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The sources, who are current or former US officials, said Iranian strike UAV hits on the US embassy compound in Riyadh on 3 March caused more damage than had been publicly disclosed.

Two strike drones, apparently of the Shahed type, as Iran uses them extensively for strikes in the region, hit the embassy in the middle of the night about a minute apart. The second flew through a hole in the building made by the first strike and also exploded inside.

The strike hit a "secure" part of the embassy where several hundred people normally work during the day, seriously damaging three floors of the building. A CIA workstation was also affected.

Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry said at the time that the strike caused a "limited fire and minor damage". The newspaper's sources, however, said the fire burned for half a day after the hits. One of them said the worst-affected part of the embassy is "not recoverable".

Background:

• The US announced the closure of its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after both came under Iranian drone attacks.
• Over the past 24 hours, it was reported that Iran shot down American aircraft, one F-15 with two crew members on board and one A-10 Thunderbolt II with one pilot. The fate of one of the F-15 crew remains unknown, while the others were rescued and are safe.
• Thirteen American service personnel were killed, seven of them directly as a result of combat, and more than 360 wounded during five weeks of war against Iran, according to official reports.

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