U.S. ramps up warnings to Americans in Middle East after Houthi strikes

U.S. diplomatic missions across the Middle East have issued a new round of security warnings to Americans amid escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants against Saudi Arabia, including an Oct. 10 strike on Riyadh's international airport that killed an American citizen.

The alerts, issued Sunday by U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries, warned that hostilities could rapidly and without warning spread beyond areas already affected by the fighting. The advisories urged Americans to exercise vigilance and prepare for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions.

"We are actively warning U.S. citizens about the very real threat the Houthis pose and urging them to heed official guidance," Edgar Vasquez, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for press, told CBS News.

"These alerts are part of a proactive effort by the Trump administration to ensure Americans are aware of potential risks," Vasquez said, adding that the safety and security of American citizens remain the department's "top priority."

The State Department has maintained restrictions on diplomatic operations across parts of the region since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in February. State Department officials have said the restrictions are intended to be temporary and allow embassies to adjust staffing as security conditions evolve.

Under a longstanding "no double standard" policy, embassies are required to share security threat information with private American citizens when the same risks apply to U.S. diplomatic personnel.

The latest alerts follow a surge in Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including repeated strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and oil facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco. The Oct. 10 airport attack killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi authorities.

The attacks continued Tuesday, with the Saudi-led coalition reporting it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh as well as a drone near the capital.

The escalating attacks have raised questions about the effectiveness of the Trump administration's approach to the conflict. While the administration has provided intelligence and targeting support to Saudi Arabia, President Trump has thus far declined repeated requests from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct U.S. military intervention. He has left open the possibility of joining in airstrikes but has not announced a decision.

"We may," Mr. Trump said on Oct. 10, after the deadly attack on Riyadh's airport. "We're going to look at it." 

The Houthis have continued to make territorial gains in Yemen, where a Houthi attack killed two teenage girls in Taiz on Tuesday. That came a day after a strike on a government military camp killed 73 recruits and wounded more than 200.

In an interview Tuesday with CBS News, Ambassador Marwan Ali Noman, political adviser to the minister of foreign affairs of the government of Yemen, warned that the Houthis would continue expanding their attacks unless confronted. He argued that Yemen's military campaign was intended to protect the wider region as well as its own population.

"We are fighting on behalf of everyone, because the threat and risk of the Houthis will expand," Noman said.

He added that Yemen's government was seeking expanded U.S. and international assistance, including greater intelligence sharing, air defenses and support for its coast guard, but was not asking Washington to deploy ground troops.

The requests come as the Trump administration faces competing demands for air defense weapons. Speaking to reporters in India on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that countries including Saudi Arabia and Israel are seeking additional American-made missile interceptors, even as Ukraine presses for more supplies.

"Every country in the world would like interceptors," Rubio said. "It's probably the most in-demand product right now in the defense field."