US orders some diplomats and families to leave Saudi Arabia over Houthi attacks
State Department orders nonemergency staff and families out of its Saudi mission, citing Houthi strikes on airports and infrastructure; reports of wider Gulf exits disputed.
The story in focus
The US State Department ordered nonemergency government employees and their family members to leave its mission in Saudi Arabia, citing increased Houthi attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said safety remained the top priority and called reports of similar departures elsewhere in the Gulf inaccurate.
- The order covers the embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates, per the State Department.
- Pigott cited Houthi attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure causing casualties and travel disruption.
- Pigott described reports of further embassy withdrawals in other Gulf states as inaccurate.
Deadly strikes and disputed reports
The State Department said the departure order applied to nonemergency government employees and their family members at the US mission in Saudi Arabia, including the embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Iranian-supported Houthis had stepped up hostilities against the kingdom, including strikes on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that caused civilian casualties and serious travel disruption.
Pigott said the safety and security of department personnel and their families remained the highest priority. The embassy in Riyadh had been badly damaged early in the US war with Iran and had operated with a skeleton staff for months before some diplomats returned in recent weeks, according to the Guardian.
Attacks and regional reports
Saudi Arabia has faced repeated deadly Houthi attacks in recent weeks. On Wednesday evening the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority announced that one Saudi resident was killed and eight people injured in attacks on King Fahad international airport in Dammam, with material damage reported; Flightradar24 said flights were diverted. Separately, the Saudi energy ministry said falling debris from the interception of a drone targeting an oil facility in the south-east killed two people and injured two more. Neither attack was immediately claimed.
Some outlets, including NBC and AFP, reported family withdrawals from US missions in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. Pigott called those reports inaccurate and said the order covered Saudi Arabia only. Reuters, citing four US officials, reported that other Gulf missions would also order family members to leave. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration was developing plans to restart the war on Iran; Trump has said he does not intend to do so before the 3 November elections.
Which US diplomatic posts does the Saudi departure order cover?
The State Department said the order covered nonemergency staff and family members at the US mission in Saudi Arabia, including the embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates. Pigott said reports of wider Gulf withdrawals were inaccurate.
Sources & further reading
- Some US diplomats told to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks ↗The Guardian
- US orders departure of personnel from Saudi Arabia, citing Houthi threat ↗Al Jazeera
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