US orders some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi threat
The United States has ordered non-essential staff and family members at its embassy in Riyadh to leave Saudi Arabia, following a deadly strike on a major airport.
The US State Department announced the partial evacuation of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the order applies to non-essential staff and their families.
The decision follows a strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam that killed one person and injured eight others. The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said the extent of the material damage was being assessed.
Earlier on the same day, the Saudi Energy Ministry reported that forces had intercepted a drone targeting an oil facility. Falling debris from the intercepted drone killed two people and injured two others, identified as a Filipino and a Nepali national.
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.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reported that flights from Dammam were being diverted as operations came to a halt. The Houthis did not claim responsibility for the Dammam attack.
Pigott denied reports that similar evacuation orders were issued for other Gulf countries, including the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. He stated that only employees in Saudi Arabia were ordered to leave.
The US has issued similar evacuation orders on more than one occasion this year amid the Iran war and Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia. A four-year truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels collapsed amid the Iran war.
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