TODAY’S PAPER | March 03, 2026 | EPAPER

US says it destroyed IRGC sites as regional tensions deepen

CENTCOM says American forces hit Iranian command hubs, air defences, launch sites as US issues evacuation orders


Web Desk/Reuters March 03, 2026 1 min read
FILE PHOTO: An unarmed Trident II D5 missile is test-launched from the Ohio-class U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska off the coast of California, U.S. March 26, 2018. Picture taken March 26, 2018. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ronald Gutridge/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY /File Photo

US CENTCOM has said in a post on X that American forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, air defences, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.

"US forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations."

There has been no statement from the IRGC or Iranian media yet.

Despite this, Reuters reports that drone attacks continue, as, according to them, police sources in Iraq say that a drone targeted a US military base near the Erbil airport. Meanwhile, the US has issued orders for the departure of non-emergency government personnel and family members from Iraq, Bahrain, and Jordan, according to the State Department.

Riyadh embassy attack

Two drones struck the US embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday, causing a small fire and minor material damage, according to Saudi officials. No injuries were reported, with the building understood to have been largely empty at the time. Witnesses reported seeing smoke rising over the diplomatic quarter and fire engines near the compound, while Saudi sources said air defences intercepted multiple drones targeting the area.

The US embassy later issued shelter-in-place notifications for Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, and restricted non-essential travel to military installations in the region.

The attack came amid a broader escalation across the Gulf, with Israel and the US bombing locations across Iran and Saudi Arabia later saying it had intercepted and destroyed eight drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj. Elsewhere, Qatar said it intercepted two ballistic missiles, and attacks from Iran had also targeted the UAE. The widening conflict has spilt across multiple Gulf states, with attacks reported on diplomatic, military and energy-linked sites.

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