U.S. State Department Orders Non-Emergency Staff and Families to Depart Saudi Arabia Amid Continued Houthi Attacks on Airports and Critical Infrastructure
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State on October 21 ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to depart Saudi Arabia. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott announced the decision in a post on X.
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. The ordered departure he announced applies to U.S. mission personnel and their families in Saudi Arabia.
According to Reuters, attacks in Saudi Arabia on the same day killed and wounded multiple people: at least one person was killed and eight injured in an attack on a civilian airport in Dammam, and two people were killed in a drone attack on an oil field.
The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia issued a security alert the same day stating that, following recent missile and UAV attacks on airports in the kingdom, U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization from the Chief of Mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia. The alert said operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remain suspended, while King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are operational with delays and cancellations. It also reminded U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia to be aware of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures and travel disruptions, and to follow national alerts issued by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense via cellular broadcast.
Reuters reported that four U.S. officials said U.S. missions in other Gulf states would also order family members to leave. Pigott did not address staffing changes at missions outside Saudi Arabia in his post.
The State Department's travel advisory for Saudi Arabia currently stands at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel," with areas near the Yemen border at Level 4, "Do Not Travel."
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