Why US ordered embassy staff, families to leave Saudi Arabia

The United States has ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia following a series of deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels that have targeted civilian infrastructure and disrupted travel in the kingdom.

The US State Department announced the decision on Wednesday, citing growing security threats from the Houthis, who have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia as the conflict in the region escalates.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a social media post explaining the measure.

“The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority,” he added.

The evacuation order comes amid mounting casualties from attacks across Saudi Arabia, including incidents involving airports and oil facilities.

On Wednesday, the Saudi energy ministry reported that two people were killed and two others injured after debris from an intercepted drone fell near an oil facility.

“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.

The ministry did not identify those responsible for launching the drone targeting the Shaybah oil field, which is located near the border with the United Arab Emirates.

Separately, the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen said it had intercepted six drones earlier on Wednesday.

An attack on Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia also killed one person and injured eight others, according to aviation officials.

The withdrawal of American diplomatic personnel comes as security concerns spread across the Middle East.

A diplomatic source in the region told AFP that some family members of US embassy personnel were also being withdrawn from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain.

However, Pigott clarified that Wednesday’s official order applied only to non-essential embassy staff and their families in Saudi Arabia.

The United States had previously ordered non-essential personnel to leave the Gulf before launching its war against Iran in late February. A similar measure was taken in July before US President Donald Trump called off a new wave of strikes.

The latest attacks come amid a renewed escalation of the conflict in Yemen, where a four-year truce collapsed in June, reigniting a war that began in 2014.

Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government through a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out near-daily attacks against Saudi Arabia this month, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that was described as the kingdom’s deadliest in years.

The worsening security situation has increased concerns over the safety of civilian infrastructure and international travel as the wider regional conflict continues.

Tensions across the region remained high late Wednesday after Iranian state media reported explosions in the southern province of Hormozgan, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.

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“A few minutes ago, the sound of several explosions was heard in the Karpan area of Sirik, in Hormozgan Province,” the official IRNA news agency said.

It added that “local sources have not yet disclosed the nature of these explosions.”

The reports came months after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, killing the country’s supreme leader and several senior military commanders.

Iran has since attempted to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, requiring ships to obtain its authorisation before crossing the strategic waterway. Under normal conditions, the strait carries approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

In response, the United States has imposed a counterblockade targeting Iranian ports and ships.

(AFP)