Yemenupdated 56m ago3 min read
U.S. Orders Nonemergency Staff To Leave Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks
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U.S. State Department orders nonessential embassy staff and families to depart Saudi Arabia. Attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis target Saudi Arabia, including King Fahd International Airport, causing casualties.
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“Four US officials told the Reuters news agency that US missions in other Gulf states would also be ordering family members to leave.”
“issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only”
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US orders Saudi pullback
The United States Department of State ordered the departure of nonemergency government employees and their family members from its mission in Saudi Arabia as attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on the kingdom have ramped up. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, “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,” in a social media post on Wednesday. Pigott added that the “safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority,” as the embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert about possible further Houthi attacks.
The BBC reported that one person was killed and eight others were injured in an attack on Wednesday on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and the Civil Aviation Authority said the attack resulted in injuries ranging from minor to severe. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced it “intercept and destroy” five drones in the oil-rich region, while the Saudi Energy Ministry said two people were killed and two were injured by falling shrapnel after intercepting a drone targeting the Shaiba oil field.
Houthi threat and staffing
The U.S. State Department told CBS News that it “issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only,” after the uptick in attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants.
A State Department official told CNN, “This is about the Houthis,” as the State Department warned US citizens about potential attacks on airports and general travel disruptions.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh issued a security warning about possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and the Reuters report described the move as part of possible broader staffing changes across the Gulf.
The BBC said the U.S. Department of State ordered all employees of its embassy in Riyadh and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing a diplomatic source, and it said Washington also ordered the departure of family members of staff at its embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain.
The Al Jazeera report said four US officials told Reuters that US missions in other Gulf states would also be ordering family members to leave, while the U.S. embassy and a CIA station hosted there came under attack by drones in early March.
Regional stakes and Yemen front
The Al Jazeera report said the latest withdrawals followed an escalation of fighting in Yemen, opening another front in the regional conflict triggered by the war.
The BBC said Houthis targeted military equipment transported by Saudi via military cargo planes to Rayyan airport in مُكلا, capital of Hadhramaut governorate, southern Yemen, and Riyadh.
The BBC also reported that Egyptian President عبد الفتاح السيسي said Cairo’s proposal to provide military support to Riyadh is “to defend Saudi Arabia’s lands and does not include an attack on Yemen,” while Iran warned that any foreign intervention in Yemen “will complicate the situation.”
The Reuters account cited by Haaretz said the U.S. State Department ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia and plans to withdraw family members from a number of other U.S. missions in the region.
The BBC described Macron’s meeting with Crown Prince الأمير محمد بن سلمان as France’s “solidarity” with the Kingdom in facing the attacks carried out by جماعة أنصار الله الحوثية in recent weeks, as the meeting lasted about an hour according to the Élysée Palace.
