The US military is pulling out diplomats and their families from across the Middle East, according to reports, prompting concern that Donald Trump could join attacks on the Houthis.
The State Department has ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia and is drawing up plans for further withdrawals from other embassies.
Reports also said the Pentagon was pulling American troops from bases in the region.
It comes after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia killed at least two people and injured eight others at a civilian airport in Dammam and two people were killed in a drone attack on an oil field on Wednesday.
Those killed were a Saudi citizen and an Indian national, the authority said. The injuries ranged from minor to serious.
Damage was being assessed, it added.
Airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal, the authority said.
Local government officials pray during a funeral procession for some of those killed in an attack by Yemen's Houthi movement on a government security forces training camp, in Ataq, Yemen, October 21, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer © REUTERS
The military withdrawals also come as officials present Trump with options for striking Iran, NBC News reported. Troops stationed in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait have also been moved, a US official told the outlet.
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 one on Riyadh’s airport that killed dozens.
The escalation of the fighting in Yemen has opened yet another front in the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran, that has inflicted heavy damage on the global energy trade.
Meanwhile Iran says seven oil tankers damaged overnight in Strait of Hormuz
If verified, it would be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on February 28.
A cargo ship sails in the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) © AP Photo/Altaf Qadri
Iran’s state television has reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight after being targeted or striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
If verified, it would be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on February 28 when the United States launched joint strikes against Iran.
Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, the Iranian report said that four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Another three were damaged and immobilised when they hit naval mines.
The report did not provide details about possible casualties or the flags of the tankers.
The statement also warned that any US attempts to allow the transit of oil tankers through “illegal passages” in the strait may expand the Revolutionary Guard’s reaction to include US bases in the region.
The Revolutionary Guard has routinely targeted US bases in Gulf countries after the war began.
© Independent News Services