DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh with two drones early Tuesday as attacks continued across the region, while U.S. and Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Iran in what President Donald Trump called the start of a sustained campaign that could last more than a month.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said the two drones caused a “limited fire” and minor damage at the embassy, which urged Americans to avoid the compound. The strike followed an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, which closed its mission until further notice. The U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and families from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates as a precaution.
Explosions were heard across Tehran overnight into Tuesday and aircraft were reported overhead, though specific targets were not immediately confirmed. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site sustained “some recent damage,” but that no radiological consequence was expected. Natanz was previously struck by the U.S. during the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June.
Israel launched additional strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, with explosions and smoke reported in a Beirut suburb. Israeli forces said soldiers were “operating in southern Lebanon,” and Lebanon’s army began evacuating some border positions.
Analysts warn the widening conflict — including the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and no clear exit strategy — could produce a prolonged confrontation with wide-ranging consequences.
Iran has extended retaliation across multiple countries it has regarded as safe havens, attacking two Amazon data centers in the UAE and striking near another in Bahrain, which Amazon said caused damage. Iran has also hit energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and attacked several ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passage, driving up global oil and gas prices. Iranian Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, a Revolutionary Guard adviser, declared “The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” warning ships not to enter.
The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries because of safety risks, though closed airspace has stranded many travelers. Trump said operations were likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that,” asserting the U.S. had a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and pre-positioned “high grade weaponry.”
Casualty reports show hundreds killed, most in Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 787 people have been killed in the U.S.-Israeli operation. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported airstrikes killed 13 Iranian troops in Kerman province. Israel reported 11 dead after Iranian missile strikes hit several locations inside Israel.
Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes on Hezbollah killed 52 people and wounded 154. The U.S. military confirmed six American service members killed — all soldiers in a logistics unit in Kuwait. Three people died in the UAE, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Amid the chaos, U.S. Central Command said Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American fighter jets while under attack by Iran’s forces; all six pilots ejected safely.
Iranian state TV reported two explosions at a Tehran broadcasting facility but said there were no injuries. Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, told reporters airstrikes had targeted Natanz on Sunday and rejected claims that Iran seeks nuclear weapons. Israel and the U.S. have not publicly acknowledged strikes at the site; Israel has said it is targeting Iranian leadership and nuclear infrastructure.
Trump described campaign goals as destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, crippling its navy, preventing nuclear weapons development and stopping support for allied militias like Hezbollah. Iran maintains it has not enriched uranium since June but asserts its nuclear program is peaceful. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of rebuilding underground sites to pursue atomic weapons, offering no evidence.
Satellite imagery analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two Iranian nuclear sites before the war; analysts said Tehran may be assessing damage from prior strikes and attempting salvage efforts.
The conflict has drawn in proxy forces across the region. Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel, prompting Israeli reprisals. Hezbollah said it launched drones at an Israeli air base; Israel said it downed two. An Iranian-linked militia in Iraq claimed attacks on U.S. facilities there. Israel said its troops in southern Lebanon were positioned for “forward defense” and did not plan civilian evacuations from border areas.
Aid and migration officials warned of worsening humanitarian consequences. “Military escalation would force more families from their homes and hit civilians hard,” said Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization on Migration, urging international de-escalation as millions are already displaced.
Reporting contributions came from Bangkok, Tel Aviv, Seattle, Miami, Athens and Cairo.
