The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as concerns grow over a flare-up involving Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
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."
Escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia
The Houthis, based in neighbouring Yemen, have increased their attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. Just last week the group fired a salvo of missiles at the presidential palace in Yemen, killing four and wounding ten. Days earlier, a series of attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid international airport killed seventeen and injured more than 300 more.
The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks. The Houthis are targeting Saudi over its support for Yemen's government forces in the country's civil war.
Regional tensions and broader threat
Conflict reignited in July after a 2022 truce collapsed following the outbreak of the US-Iran war. Iran and its allies ramped up attacks across the Middle East after the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key sites in February. Iran retaliated by hitting US allies across the region and closing the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis spiralled out of control after the rebel group seized stretches of the Red Sea coast last month - an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.
Coordinated warnings across Gulf states
The state department has reportedly been preparing to order diplomats to leave embassies across several other Gulf states, three US officials told Reuters. Embassies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries issued coordinated warnings on Sunday, warning US citizens that fighting with the Houthis could spread beyond the conflict's current borders, according to ABC News.
Washington returned some personnel to the region after some were removed when Tehran launched retaliatory attacks, but a series of security alerts swept across the region on Sunday. The US now increasingly views Houthi attacks as part of a broader threat to citizens throughout the Middle East.
