American troops and diplomats have been moved out of positions across the Middle East, with reports indicating Donald Trump is weighing major strikes against Iran. The State Department is reducing staff at diplomatic posts in the region, including Saudi Arabia, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to launch attacks.
Troop movements and diplomatic withdrawals
A US official and two people familiar with the orders told NBC News that troops at bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait have been ordered to relocate in recent days. The State Department has also been preparing to order diplomats to leave embassies across Gulf states, according to three US officials who spoke to Reuters.
A spokesman said "non-emergency US government employees and their families" have been ordered to leave "Saudi Arabia only." He added: "The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them."
Recent Houthi attacks and regional conflict
The moves follow a missile attack on the presidential palace in Yemen last week that killed four people and wounded ten. In the days before, several attacks targeted Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, where seventeen people died and 300 more were injured.
The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks. Saudi Arabia has been a target of the Houthis because of its support for Yemen's government forces in the country's civil war. The conflict reignited in July after a 2022 truce collapsed following the outbreak of the US-Iran war earlier this year.
Wider regional impact
The US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites in February. Iran retaliated by attacking US allies across the region, closing the Strait of Hormuz waterway and choking the global supply route. The Houthis used the conflict to seize stretches of the Red Sea coast last month, an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, ramping up fighting with Saudi Arabia.
Washington had returned some personnel to the region after some were removed when Tehran launched retaliatory attacks. However, security alerts swept across the Middle East on Sunday, warning US citizens that fighting with the Houthis could spread beyond its current borders. Embassies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries issued coordinated warnings, according to ABC News.
