The United States Department of State has ordered the departure of nonemergency government employees and their family members from its mission in Saudi Arabia as attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on the kingdom have ramped up. Pigott said that an earlier media report on US plans for the departure of some personnel and family members at US embassies across the Gulf was “inaccurate”. Four US officials told the news agency that US missions in other Gulf states would also be ordering family members to leave.
The US had returned some diplomatic personnel to the region in recent months after many were pulled out when Tehran launched attacks on US facilities after the US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. The latest withdrawals follow an escalation of fighting in Yemen, opening another front in the regional conflict triggered by the war. The conflict has snarled global energy trade and hurt Gulf economies.
The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia after recent deadly strikes, including on Riyadh’s airport. The embassy and a CIA station hosted there came under attack by drones in early March, as Iran began launching attacks across the region.
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