Drone assault hits US embassy in Saudi Arabia as Americans are urged to evacuate 15 international locations and new strikes hit Iran – reside updates

The United States embassy in Saudi Arabia has closed today following an Iranian drone attack last night.

The building in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom’s defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.

Black smoke was seen rising over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions.

There were no reported injuries

US officials confirmed it would remain closed today and urged people to stay away.

‘Avoid the embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,’ a statement said, urging American citizens to ‘shelter in place’.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed Iran’s Natanz nuclear plant has been damaged following the US-Israeli strikes.

The UN agency previously said there were no indications Iran’s nuclear sites had been struck but said new satellite images showed ‘recent damage to entrance buildings’.

Here are the latest pictures we can show from Beirut where Israel launched new overnight strikes as it aims to hit key Hezbollah positions in the capital.

Among the targets was a a branch of ‘Al-Qard al-Hassan’, a financial institution linked to the militants and the building that houses Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV offices.

Motorists queue to fill their cars at a North London petrol station

by Gethin Hicks

Petrol stations appear to be running out of fuel as Brits scramble to fill up their vehicles before oil prices surge to ‘record levels’.

The conflict in the Middle East has affected the transport of fuel to the West after companies suspended sailing through the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian attacks on ships and ports.

Oil prices have subsequently skyrocketed, with the global benchmark Brent crude hiking by approximately 13 per cent to the highest level recorded since July 2024.

But drivers were told ‘not to panic buy’ petrol and diesel by the AA on Monday ahead of a possible increase in costs – advice many Brits appear to have ignored.

France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus after a British air base on the island was attacked by drones, the Cyprus News Agency is reporting.

It said French President Emmanuel Macron communicated the intention to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides early on Tuesday.

A Cypriot government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report while the French defence ministry did not immediately respond.

It is reported French aid to the island follows Greece’s offer of assistance hours after RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign base, was targeted in two separate drone incidents on Monday.

In the first instance an Iranian-made Shahed drone crashed into the runway of the base, causing limited damage. Hours later two other drones were intercepted.

Senior Cypriot officials say the attack was carried out by an Iranian Shahed drone most likely fired by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon.

The officials have stressed that the base – considered sovereign British territory – rather than Cyprus, was the target.

France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the United Arab Emirates to protect its naval and air bases against Iranian attacks, foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said

France has hundreds of navy, air force and army personnel based in the United Arab Emirates. Its Rafale aircraft are stationed at the Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi.

‘These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities,’ Barrot told the BFMTV broadcaster in response to a question on French action in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend to neutralise Iranian drones.

‘They have carried out operations to secure the airspace above our bases.’

On Sunday, ‘a hangar at a French base in the United Arab Emirates was hit by a drone,’ Barrot said.

‘Exchanges are multiplying to determine both how the country can defend itself against future attacks and how France can protect its interests there,’ he added.

The Lebanese army has redeployed soldiers from several border positions following what is described as Israeli army’s ‘escalation’, a military source told AFP.

The troops ‘numbering in total eight to nine soldiers at each point, were redeployed to their bases because of the danger to their safety’, the Lebanese military said.

The move comes after Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said he had authorised his military to ‘take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon’.

The Israeli military said the move amounted to a ‘forward defence’ measure along the border instead of a ground operation.

Debris from a drone interception caused a fire to break out at an oil zone in the United Arab Emirates today.

Authorities said the blaze at Fujairah was contained and there are no reports of injuries.

‘Relevant authorities in the Emirate of Fujairah responded to a fire that broke out this morning in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ), resulting from falling debris following the successful interception of a drone by air defence systems,’ the Fujairah Media Office said.

‘No injuries were reported, the fire was brought under control, and normal operations in the area have resumed.’

Fujairah hosts the region’s largest commercial storage capacity for refined oil products and is considered the Middle East’s leading oil trading hub.

European stock markets slid further at the start of trading today and the region’s natural gas prices soared again in response of the Iran war.

Frankfurt’s DAX index of top German companies shed 2.0 percent, the Paris CAC 40 lost 1.8 percent and London’s FTSE 100 retreated by 1.4 percent in value.

The Dutch TTF natural gas contract, considered the European benchmark, shot up more than 33 percent having rocketed almost 40 percent on Monday after Qatar halted liquefied natural gas production following Iranian attacks on state processing facilities.

Israel has declared it has deployed troops to multiple locations in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said the move amounted to a ‘forward defence” measure along the border instead of a ground operation.

‘We have positioned soldiers on the border area in additional points to defend our civilians, to prevent Hezbollah from attacking them,’ military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists in a separate briefing.

‘This is not a ground operation. This is a tactical measure… to ensure the safety of our people,’ he added.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement he had authorised the military to advance and take control of additional positions in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel late on Sunday, in reaction to U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

Israeli forces have occupied five positions in southern Lebanon since November 2024.

Astonishing footage captured the moment an American pilot, who parachuted out of an F-15 fighter jet shot down over Kuwait, was threatened by a local with a pipe.

Footage on social media shows a group of men approaching the pilot and shouting, while one of them brandishes a metal pipe.

The pilot is heard repeating: ‘Back up. Stop!’ as the men move closer and closer., appearing to think the airman is Iranian.

The tense situation is diffused once the pilot finally tells the locals he is American, after which they retreat and leave him alone.

The pilot was aboard one of the three US jets that were mistakenly shot down over the Middle Eastern country on Monday.

Footage had earlier emerged showing the $90 million planes spiraling out of control as they crashed to the ground.

China called on all sides in the Middle East war to maintain safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, and vowed measures to ensure its energy security.

Nearly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil supplies pass through the strait, as well as a significant amount of cargo.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared it closed on Saturday, prompting several international shipping groups to halt passage through the waterway.

‘China urges all parties to immediately cease military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions, maintain the safety of shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, and prevent a greater impact on the global economy,’ foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Tuesday.

‘Energy security is of great importance to the global economy… China will take necessary measures to ensure its energy security,’ she said.

China is the main buyer of Iranian oil, most of which passes through the strait.

Satellite image taken on Monday shows smoke after a nearby explosion