US diplomats, families leave Saudi Arabia missions as regional conflict with Houthis escalates

The US State Department ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate. Attacks in Dammam killed one and injured eight at a civilian airport; a drone strike on an oil field killed two. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott cited Iranian-supported Houthi hostilities against civilian targets. US missions in other Gulf states are also expected to order family departures.

The US State Department has ordered non-emergency US government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels from Yemen. The order came after attacks killed at least one person and injured eight others at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and two people were killed in a drone attack on Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Houthis have increasingly targeted civilian airports and critical infrastructure, causing casualties and travel disruptions. Four US officials told Reuters that US missions in other Gulf states will also order family members to leave, though Pigott did not address changes outside Saudi Arabia. The withdrawals follow an escalation of fighting in Yemen, opening another front in the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has disrupted global energy trade and hurt Gulf economies. The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert about possible further Houthi attacks after recent deadly strikes, including on Riyadh's airport.