An Iranian strike on the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia was worse than previously disclosed, a new report alleges.
A pair of drone strikes on the embassy in Riyadh’s gated Diplomatic Quarter penetrated its walls and started a fire that it took half a day to put out, current and former U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
One source said parts of the embassy were not recoverable due to the damage. Saudi officials, meanwhile, had reported only minor damage.
In fact, according to unnamed officials, the March 3 attack would have been a “mass-casualty event” if it had occurred during working hours instead of around 1:30 a.m. The first strike reportedly blew a hole in the compound that was followed by a second drone, which flew into the opening before detonating.
The details leaked by officials paint a far different picture from what was publicly disclosed.
Instead of an hours-long blaze that threatened to kill or injure Americans, Saudi officials described only a limited fire. There was no mention that three separate floors were damaged by the strike, reports the Journal.
Among the areas hit was a CIA station, sources said.
“There’s been a complete blackout on the actual amount of damage done to these places,” Bernard Hudson, a former CIA counterterrorism chief, told the Journal. “That feeds suspicions that a lot more damage may have actually happened.”
While a pair of drones made it past Saudi defenses, the Journal reported that other drones were shot down in the early morning of March 3, with their debris falling near a preschool. One is believed to have been targeting the “residence of the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat in Saudi Arabia, located a few hundred feet from the embassy.”
The Journal suggested the strike was meant to send a “message” to Washington, writing that it showed “Iran could hit Americans in places they thought were protected.”
Reached for comment, the State Department told the Daily Beast it does “not discuss specific security posture reviews or measures in place at our facilities.”
The spokesperson added, “The Diplomatic Security Service regularly assesses threats and adjusts security at U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide, and we work closely with host-nation partners to protect our people and facilities.”
President Donald Trump, in the immediate aftermath of the embassy attack, had pledged swift retaliation.
Iran launched attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East in the days after joint Israeli-U.S. strikes began on Feb. 28. Thirteen American troops were killed in the immediate aftermath, including Army reservists at a military installation in Kuwait.
No new casualties have been announced by U.S. officials, but the Pentagon says that 365 service members have been wounded in action since the war broke out.
Two American planes, including an F-15E fighter jet, were shot down over Iran this week. One of the jet’s pilots has been rescued, but another remains missing and the Pentagon and White House have yet to publicly address the situation. The president, instead, spent Saturday morning raging at The New York Times on social media.
