Washington Orders US Embassy Staff and Families to Leave Saudi Arabia

The United States has ordered non-essential embassy personnel and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia amid a wave of deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the US State Department said on Wednesday.

“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,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a social media post explaining the decision.

“The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority,” he added.

A diplomatic source in the Middle East told AFP that family members of some US embassy personnel were also being withdrawn from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. However, Pigott clarified that Wednesday’s order applied only to non-emergency embassy staff and their families in Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom has faced almost daily attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels this month, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that marked one of Saudi Arabia’s deadliest attacks in years, as the conflict involving the group intensifies.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry reported that two people were killed and two others injured by debris from the interception of a drone targeting an oil facility.

“The attempted attack resulted in the deaths of two individuals, a Filipino and a Nepali, and injuries to two others,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry did not identify the party responsible for launching the drone aimed at the Shaybah oil field, located near the border with the United Arab Emirates. Earlier on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen said it had intercepted six drones.

Separately, an attack on Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia killed one person and injured eight others, according to aviation officials.

In June, a four-year truce in Yemen’s civil war collapsed, reigniting a conflict that began in 2014. The Saudi-led coalition has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2015.

Iran Reports Explosions

The United States had previously ordered non-essential personnel to leave Gulf countries ahead of the start of its war against Iran in late February. A similar directive was issued in July, before US President Donald Trump called off a planned new wave of strikes.

Late Wednesday, Iranian state media reported explosions in the southern province of Hormozgan, which overlooks the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, interrupting a period of relative calm.

“A few minutes ago, the sound of several explosions was heard in the Karpan area of Sirik, in Hormozgan Province,” the official IRNA news agency reported.

The agency added that local sources had not yet determined the nature of the explosions.

In late February, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader and several senior military commanders.

Iran has since sought to restrict passage through the Strait of Hormuz, requiring ships to obtain its authorisation to cross the waterway. Under normal conditions, the strategic shipping route carries approximately one-fifth of global oil supplies.

In retaliation, the United States has imposed a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports and vessels.