US orders diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi strikes

The US has ordered non-emergency staff and families to leave Saudi missions amid escalating Houthi attacks. The move underscores growing threats to civilian travel and critical infrastructure across the Gulf.

In Short

• US orders diplomats and families to leave Saudi missions
• Departures also planned from other Gulf diplomatic posts
• Yemen conflict worsens regional tensions and disrupts energy

The United States has ordered some diplomats and their family members to leave its missions in Saudi Arabia and is preparing to withdraw family members from several other diplomatic posts in the Gulf region amid escalating attacks, US officials told Reuters.

The move came as attacks in Saudi Arabia killed at least three people, including one at a civilian airport in Dammam and two in a drone incident targeting an oilfield. Eight others were injured in the airport attack.

US ORDERS DEPARTURES FROM SAUDI ARABIA

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department had ordered the departure of “non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only”, citing attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen on civilian targets.

Four US officials told Reuters that American missions in other Gulf states would also direct family members to leave. Pigott did not comment on possible changes at diplomatic missions outside Saudi Arabia.

The United States had brought some diplomatic personnel back to the region in recent months after withdrawing many of them when Iran began attacking US facilities following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran in late February.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” Pigott said in a post on X.

DEADLY ATTACKS HIT AIRPORT, OILFIELD

After the departure order was announced, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority reported an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam that killed one person and injured eight others.

Earlier, two people were killed when Saudi air defences intercepted a drone attempting to strike a facility at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield, according to the Saudi energy ministry.

The US Embassy in Riyadh had issued a security alert on Wednesday warning of possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The warning followed recent deadly strikes, including attacks on Riyadh’s airport.

YEMEN FIGHTING WIDENS REGIONAL CONFLICT

The latest diplomatic withdrawals come amid an intensification of fighting in Yemen, opening another front in the wider regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The conflict has disrupted global energy trade and inflicted economic damage on Gulf countries, raising concerns about the security of critical infrastructure and travel across the region.

The US Embassy in Riyadh and a CIA station located there were themselves targeted by drones in early March, as Iran began launching attacks across the region.

- Ends
With inputs from Reuters