NewzThe State Department has ordered non-essential U.S. embassy personnel and their family members to depart Saudi Arabia, following an uptick in attacks by Houthi militants. Saudi Arabia has this month come under near-daily attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis.
(AFP pic)RIYADH: Washington has ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the state department said on Wednesday, as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthis.It came after a diplomatic source told AFP that "all American staff and their families have been ordered to depart from the US embassy" in the Gulf kingdom.The source added that families of embassy staff had also been ordered to leave the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, all of which have been targeted by Iran during the Middle East war.US state department spokesman Tommy Pigott subsequently confirmed the order in a post on X, but said it applied to "non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only".He linked the move to Houthi attacks on the country, including airports, saying "the safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our highest priority".Saudi Arabia has this month come under near-daily attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis, including a strike on Riyadh's international airport that was the kingdom's deadliest in years, as the war with the group escalates.On Wednesday, the Saudi energy ministry said that falling debris from the successful interception of a drone targeting an oil facility killed two people and injured a further two."The attempted attack resulted in the deaths of two individuals, a Filipino and a Nepali, and injuries to two others," the ministry said in a statement.It did not say who launched the drone aimed at Shaybah oil field near the UAE border. Earlier on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen reported intercepting six drones.In June, a four-year-old truce in Yemen's civil war collapsed, reviving the conflict that dates back to 2014. The Saudi-led coalition has backed the internationally recognised government since 2015.Iran explosionsThe US previously ordered non-essential staff to leave the Gulf ahead of the start of its war against Iran and again in July before US President Donald Trump called off a new wave of strikes.Late on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in the southern Hormozgan province overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, breaking a spell of relative calm."A few minutes ago, the sound of several explosions was heard in th…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is ordering some diplomats and the families of U.S. government employees to leave Saudi Arabia following a series of deadly attacks in the country by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and rising fears of an escalation in hostilities. The department said Wednesday it had ordered the departure of non-essential staff at the U.S.
Embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates. The embassy had been badly damaged at the start of the Iran war and had been operating with only a skeleton staff for months, although some diplomats had returned in recent months. In a new travel alert, the department said, “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.
The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.” A series of previous alerts for Saudi Arabia issued over the past several days have used almost identical language and noted that U.S. government personnel need special permission to use any Saudi airport. The Houthis have routinely targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, and it had been closed since Oct.
But earlier Wednesday, aircraft from a limited number of Saudi airlines took off and landed at the airport, two days after Saudi aviation authorities notified airlines that they could resume operations with prior permission. Still, major carriers like Lufthansa and Air France have canceled flights to Riyadh through mid-November. Saudi airlines, including Saudia and FlyNas, were among those operating flights Wednesday.
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