Iranian drones strike US embassy in Riyadh as Israeli troops enter Lebanon
Iranian drones strike the US embassy in Riyadh as Tehran steps up retaliatory attacks on the Gulf and Israel, while Israeli forces begin operations in southern Lebanon on the fourth day of the regional conflict.
The drone attack on the US embassy in Riyadh caused a minor fire, prompting the diplomatic mission to tell Americans to distance themselves from the compound. The Caspian post reports, citing The Guardian.
The attack followed an earlier Iranian drone strike on the US embassy in Kuwait, as Iran continued to target American bases, facilities and personnel in the Gulf Arab States.
The pro-Iranian group Hezbollah also continued to target Israel, saying it launched two salvos of missiles overnight targeting military bases in northern Israel. In response, Israel continued to carry out strikes and issue evacuation orders for villages in southern Lebanon, virtually emptying the country south of the Litani River and turning Beirut's southern suburbs into a ghost town.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered Israeli soldiers to “hold and advance” in areas of southern Lebanon to prevent further Hezbollah fire on northern Israel. It was the first time that it was recognized that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah would not only be from the air but would involve interventions on the ground.
Meanwhile, the United States and Israel continued strikes against Iran, with the United States claiming to have destroyed the command and control facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
What began as a war between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other has transformed into a regional conflict at breakneck speed, with new fronts opening every day.
The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran began Saturday with attacks on Tehran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and provoking Iranian retaliation against Israel and missile attacks on Arab countries with U.S. bases in the region. The fighting quickly expanded to include at least nine countries and various pro-Iranian groups.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Iran could take “a while,” saying that while it would “not take years,” it could drag on. “It’s not an endless war,” he told Fox News.
US President Donald Trump, who has made contradictory statements about the duration of the war, also estimated on Monday that it could take “much longer” than the month initially planned.
