The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of non-essential staff and families of some employees from Saudi Arabia amid warnings of potential escalation in hostilities.
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The U.S. State Department said it ordered the departure of non-essential staff at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates, along with the families of U.S. government employees.
The department issued a travel alert stating that “Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” adding that the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond the immediate area.
According to the alert, U.S. government personnel require special permission to use any Saudi airport.
The embassy in Riyadh had been badly damaged at the start of the Iran war and had been operating with a skeleton staff for months, though some diplomats had returned in recent months.
The warning followed continued disruptions affecting flight operations, including the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport since Oct. 10 after a severe attack.
The text said that earlier Wednesday, aircraft from a limited number of Saudi airlines took off and landed at the airport after Saudi aviation authorities notified airlines they could resume operations with prior permission, while major carriers such as Lufthansa and Air France cancelled flights to Riyadh through mid-November.
The Houthis have acknowledged targeting the airport, and the department’s summary said their claim—without evidence—that Saudi Arabia provided military equipment through the facility had not been substantiated.
While the ordered departure applies only to Saudi Arabia, the department said U.S. embassies in other Gulf countries would see temporary staffing changes, noting those missions are already under “restricted operations.”
The latest developments also included Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry saying debris from an intercepted drone killed two people and injured two others at an Aramco-operated oil field in the country’s southeast, and a statement from the Saudi-led coalition saying it fired five drones toward Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, which were intercepted and destroyed over Madinah and the Eastern Region.
The text said the attempted attack came after the resurgence of fighting with the Houthis in mid-July.
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