U.S. State Department Orders Some Diplomats and Families to Leave Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks

The U.S. State Department has directed a portion of its diplomatic personnel and the families of U.S. government employees to leave Saudi Arabia as the kingdom endures a series of near-daily attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi movement. The order applies to the embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates, which have been operating with limited staff since the embassy was damaged at the start of the U.S. conflict with Iran.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, "The safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our highest priority." He added that reports of withdrawals from other Gulf states were "inaccurate" and that the directive covered Saudi Arabia only.

The latest attacks have targeted civilian airports and oil facilities. A strike on King Fahad International Airport in Dammam killed one Saudi resident and injured eight others, prompting flight diversions, while debris from an intercepted drone aimed at a southeastern oil plant killed two people and wounded two more, according to the Saudi energy ministry.

Earlier this year the United States ordered non-essential staff to leave the Gulf ahead of a planned war against Iran. Recent media reports have suggested that families of embassy personnel were also being withdrawn from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, but the State Department has not confirmed such moves.

The withdrawals occur amid reports that President Donald Trump has received plans for a renewed strike campaign against Iran following the midterm elections. According to the New York Times, U.S. and Israeli officials discussed a "short but intensive operation" after Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump has publicly said he does not intend to restart hostilities before the November 3 election.