U.S. State Department orders non-essential embassy staff and families to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

The U.S. State Department has ordered non-essential employees and their families at the embassy in Riyadh to leave the country, citing heightened security risks from Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia.

"The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote on X. The directive comes as the Houthi militia in Yemen has stepped up strikes on Saudi civilian airports, military facilities, oil infrastructure and maritime traffic, causing casualties and travel disruptions. A State Department official emphasized that the move is directly related to the Houthi threat. In a separate security alert, the department warned that U.S. government employees in Saudi Arabia must obtain special authorization from the chief of mission to use any Saudi airport following recent missile and UAV attacks. Saudi forces have reported intercepting multiple drones, including one aimed at the Shaybah oil field, and an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam that resulted in one death and eight injuries. The United States has increased intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia, while President Donald Trump has so far declined to order direct strikes against the Houthis. Other allies have also pledged support: the United Kingdom announced the deployment of fighter jets to defend Saudi territory, and Egypt pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support.”