American diplomats and their families have been advised to evacuate Saudi Arabia after the country was targeted by several attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebel force based in neighbouring Yemen. The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks.
The advice follows a series of incidents, including a missile strike on the presidential palace in Yemen last week that killed four people and wounded ten. In the days before, several attacks were carried out on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, where seventeen people lost their lives and 300 more were injured.
State Department orders non-emergency staff to leave
The State Department has reportedly been preparing to order diplomats to leave embassies across Gulf states, three US officials told Reuters. A spokesman said "non-emergency US government employees and their families" have been ordered to leave "Saudi Arabia only".
"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," he added.
Conflict reignited after truce collapse
Saudi Arabia has been a target of the Houthis due to its support for Yemen's government forces in the country's civil war. Conflict reignited in July after a 2022 truce collapsed following the outbreak of the US-Iran war earlier this year.
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.
Houthis seize Red Sea coast, warnings spread
The Houthis used the conflict as an opportunity 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 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.
