The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees and family members to leave Saudi Arabia following a series of deadly attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement on civilian and energy infrastructure.
The order applies to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and satellite consular offices, according to Reuters and The Associated Press. It is not an order for all U.S. citizens to leave the kingdom.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the ordered departure covers non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia. Washington cited attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that caused casualties and major travel disruptions.
Airport and Oil-Site Attacks
Saudi authorities reported that one person was killed and eight were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Two people were also killed in a drone attack on the Shaybah oil field operated by Saudi Aramco.
The Saudi-led coalition said five other drones were intercepted over Medina and the Eastern Province. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had remained closed after an October 10 attack, although a limited number of Saudi airlines resumed flights on October 21 with prior government approval.
Lufthansa and Air France canceled flights to Riyadh through mid-November, according to the reports.
The State Department said the mandatory departure order applies only to Saudi Arabia. U.S. missions elsewhere in the Gulf were expected to make temporary staffing adjustments while operating with restrictions.