Middle East

CIA station among targets as suspected Iranian drones strike US embassy in Riyadh: Report

Washington Post report says attack 'collapsed' part of American embassy's roof

Merve Aydogan  | 04.03.2026 - Update : 04.03.2026
CIA station among targets as suspected Iranian drones strike US embassy in Riyadh: Report

HAMILTON, Canada

Two suspected Iranian drones struck the CIA station housed within the US Embassy compound in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday, according to a report Tuesday by The Washington Post citing two people familiar with the matter.

The report said that while both the US and Saudi governments acknowledged that the drones struck the embassy complex, neither disclosed that the agency's intelligence hub was among the targets hit.

An internal State Department alert obtained by the Post indicated that the attack caused part of the US embassy's roof to collapse and filled the interior with smoke, leaving the building with structural damage.

Embassy personnel were reported to be sheltering in place at the time of publication, as the report affirmed that there were no CIA casualties.

The reported strike comes as tensions continue to escalate across the region since the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack Saturday against Iran, killing nearly 800 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US military assets.

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