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Drone strike on US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was Israeli ‘false flag’: IRGC

April 6, 2026

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) rejected on 4 April accusations that it carried out an attack on the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia during the early days of the war, saying that it was a false flag operation carried out by Israel.

In a statement issued to condemn the 3 March drone attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh, the IRGC stressed that “this action was certainly carried out by Zionists.”

The IRGC issued the statement in response to a new report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Saturday claiming that the attack “did more extensive damage than previously disclosed,” while “showing Iran’s ability to hit Washington’s assets in the kingdom.”

Citing US officials, WSJ claimed that an Iranian drone evaded Saudi air defenses guarding Riyadh’s gated Diplomatic Quarter before smashing into the US Embassy compound. A minute later, a second drone hit the same breach and exploded.

No casualties resulted, as the strike was carried out at night. Had it taken place during the day, it would have killed large numbers of US and local embassy staff.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) station was among the areas hit, WSJ added, citing people familiar with the matter.

“There’s been a complete blackout on the actual amount of damage done to these places,” said Bernard Hudson, a former CIA counterterrorism chief, regarding US embassies and bases targeted by Iran. “That feeds suspicions that a lot more damage may have actually happened.”

The IRGC has confirmed it has struck US and Israeli assets and bases in Gulf states and across the region, many of which play a direct role in the war on Iran. However, IRGC commanders have clearly identified their intended targets, and the US embassy in Riyadh was not among them.

The IRGC statement added that Iran had already informed neighboring countries of the necessary warnings to “prevent further escalation,” and warned that countries in the region “must remain vigilant against provocations from the American–Zionist current,” which aims to destabilize the region and create chaos between Iran and neighboring states.

Iran has stated that multiple attacks attributed to it since the start of the war on 28 February have been false flags carried out by Israel.

On Friday, the IRGC condemned the alleged targeting of a water desalination plant in Kuwait, saying that Israel was “behind this cowardly act of aggression aimed at sowing discord.”

Kuwaiti authorities attributed the attack to Iran.

In a previous attack on 30 March, an Indian national was killed after a Kuwaiti power and desalination plant was hit. Iran also denied claims it launched the attack and blamed Israel.

In another case, Iran denied targeting Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery in early March. Ras Tanura, the biggest oil refinery in the country, was shuttered for 11 days following a drone attack.

An Iranian military source speaking with the Tasnim News Agency said that the attack was an Israeli false flag attack aimed at distracting regional countries from Israel’s strikes on civilian sites inside Iran, stressing that “Aramco facilities have not been among the targets of Iranian attacks so far.”