DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian forces launched a drone assault on the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital early Tuesday morning, continuing a pattern of regional strikes while the United States and Israel intensified their bombing campaign against Iran in what President Donald Trump described as the beginning of an extended military operation potentially lasting over a month.
Two Iranian drones targeted the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, resulting in a “limited fire” and minimal structural damage, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry reported, though officials declined to provide additional specifics. This incident occurred one day after Iranian forces struck the American Embassy in Kuwait.
The broadening scope of Iran’s retaliatory strikes throughout the Gulf region, combined with the intensity of American and Israeli bombardments, the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the absence of any clear withdrawal strategy suggest a potentially extended conflict with widespread implications.
Iranian retaliation has reached numerous Middle Eastern nations previously considered secure, with recent strikes targeting two Amazon data centers in the United Arab Emirates and causing damage near another facility in Bahrain, the company confirmed Tuesday. Tehran’s forces have also attacked energy infrastructure in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while targeting multiple vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway handling one-fifth of global oil trade, causing petroleum and natural gas prices to spike worldwide.
The State Department has advised American citizens to evacuate more than a dozen Middle Eastern nations due to security concerns, with many other countries issuing similar warnings, though widespread airspace closures have left numerous travelers unable to depart.
Trump indicated that military operations will likely continue for four to five weeks, though he expressed readiness “to go far longer than that.”
“The hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared to reporters prior to briefing Congress members on the Iranian operation.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the American-Israeli campaign has resulted in at least 555 fatalities. Israeli casualties include 11 deaths from Iranian missile strikes on multiple locations within the country. Israel’s counter-strikes against Hezbollah have killed dozens in Lebanon.
“Military escalation would force more families from their homes and hit civilians hard,” warned Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization on Migration, as she urged the global community Tuesday to push for de-escalation.
“Millions are already displaced in the region,” she added.
The American military has acknowledged six service member deaths. All casualties were Army personnel from a single logistics unit stationed in Kuwait, according to a U.S. official speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization for public comment.
Casualty reports include three deaths in the United Arab Emirates, with one fatality each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iran’s foreign minister shared imagery Monday depicting graves he claimed belonged to over 160 girls killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on a Minab school. “Their bodies were torn to shreds,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.
In Israel, funeral services were held Monday evening at Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives for three young siblings killed in an Iranian strike.
The conflict’s confusion became evident when American forces reported that Kuwait had “mistakenly shot down” three U.S. fighter aircraft during Iran’s multi-pronged assault using planes, ballistic missiles and drones. U.S. Central Command confirmed all six pilots safely ejected.
Iranian state television reported that strikes caused two explosions at a Tehran broadcasting facility early Tuesday, though no injuries were reported.
Iran’s International Atomic Energy Agency ambassador Reza Najafi informed reporters that Sunday airstrikes hit the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.
“Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” he stated.
Neither Israel nor the United States have confirmed targeting the facility, which American forces bombed during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in June. Israeli officials have stated their focus on “leadership and nuclear infrastructure.”
Trump outlined the military campaign’s goals as destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, eliminating its naval forces, preventing nuclear weapon acquisition, and stopping support for allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which launched missiles at Israel Monday.
Iran maintains it has not enriched uranium since June, while asserting its right to do so and characterizing its nuclear program as peaceful.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a Monday evening Fox News Channel Hannity interview that Iran was constructing “new sites, new places” underground for atomic bomb production.
“We had to take the action now and we did,” Netanyahu said, providing no supporting evidence for his assertion.
Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery revealed minimal activity at two Iranian nuclear facilities before the conflict began. Experts suggested Tehran was likely evaluating damage from 2025 U.S. strikes and potentially salvaging remaining materials.
The conflict has extended into Lebanon, where Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants fired missiles at Israel Monday, though no injuries or damage were reported.
Israeli retaliation included strikes on Lebanon. The nation’s Health Ministry documented at least 52 deaths and 154 injuries from overnight attacks in Beirut suburbs and southern Lebanon.
Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin stated that Israel maintains “all options on the table,” including a possible ground invasion of Lebanon.
Early Tuesday morning brought additional Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, with officials claiming they targeted “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities.”
Hezbollah reported launching drones against an Israeli air base. Israeli military forces confirmed downing two drones.
An Iranian-affiliated militant group in Iraq has also claimed responsibility for strikes on American military installations.
