US orders embassy staff, families to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks

The US ordered non-essential embassy staff and families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday due to escalating Houthi attacks. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott cited attacks on civilian airports and infrastructure. Saudi Arabia faces near-daily Houthi strikes, including a deadly attack on Riyadh airport. Egypt's President Sissi said military support for Saudi Arabia would be limited to defending its territory.

The United States has ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Wednesday, as the kingdom faces sustained deadly attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the measure was due to Houthi hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure causing civilian casualties and travel disruptions. A diplomatic source told AFP that some families of US embassy personnel were also being withdrawn from the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain, but Pigott stressed the order was for Saudi Arabia only. Saudi Arabia has faced near-daily Houthi attacks this month, including a strike on Riyadh's international airport that was the kingdom's deadliest in years. On Wednesday, the Saudi energy ministry said falling debris from intercepting a drone targeting an oil facility killed two people, a Filipino and a Nepali. Egypt's President Sissi said Egypt's military support for Saudi Arabia would be limited to defending its territory and borders and would not include an attack on Yemen. The article frames the escalation as part of the broader US-Israeli war on Iran, though no Iranian or Israeli officials are quoted.