US Orders Non-Emergency Staff to Leave Saudi Arabia Over Houthi Attacks
The US State Department has ordered nonemergency government employees and their family members to leave its mission in Saudi Arabia, citing attacks by Houthi forces on the kingdom. The order was reported on October 21, 2026.
The Houthis are an armed group based in Yemen, Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a social media post on Wednesday that Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia. He said the attacks have included strikes on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, causing civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.
The US Embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on October 21 warning of possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The alert followed recent deadly strikes, including one on Riyadh's airport.
A media report had described US plans for departures of personnel and family members from embassies across the Gulf. Pigott called that report "inaccurate." Four US officials told Reuters that US missions in other Gulf states would also be ordering family members to leave.
The move follows a period in which the US had pulled many diplomatic personnel out of the Gulf region after Iran launched attacks on US facilities. Those attacks came after the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in late February 2026. The US had since returned some personnel to the region in recent months. In early March, the US embassy in Riyadh and a CIA station hosted there came under drone attack as Iran began launching attacks across the region.
The State Department's Saudi Arabia travel advisory says US government employees working in the country are not allowed to travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border because of safety risks. US Embassy security alerts issued in October 2026 advise Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia, citing the risk of drone and missile targeting of American interests by Iran and the Iranian-supported Houthis.
