US orders non-emergency embassy staff out of Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks intensify

Summary

The United States has ordered a departure for non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Wednesday. He said the decision followed increasing Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that have caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions, and he called earlier Reuters and AFP reports of evacuations across the Gulf inaccurate. Citing US officials, the South China Morning Post reports that some diplomats and family members have been ordered to leave Saudi Arabia and that family members will also be withdrawn from several other US missions in the region. Attacks in Saudi Arabia killed at least one person and injured eight at a civilian airport in Dammam, and two people were killed in a drone attack on an oilfield, according to that report. The Guardian reports that at least three people were killed at the airport and oilfield on Wednesday evening, and that similar withdrawals have been reported in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain amid concerns about a return to conflict with Iran after the US midterm elections. NDTV reports that Saudi Arabia has come under near-daily Iran-backed Houthi attacks this month.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   21 Oct 2026, 20:33 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the State Department issued an ordered departure for non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only, citing Houthi attacks on civilian airports and infrastructure, and calling earlier Reuters and AFP reports of Gulf embassy evacuations inaccurate.

2. NDTV

   21 Oct 2026, 22:05 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the US has ordered embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks intensify, noting that the kingdom has come under near-daily Iran-backed Houthi attacks this month.

3. Al Jazeera

   21 Oct 2026, 23:13 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the State Department has ordered the departure of personnel from Saudi Arabia, saying Iran-aligned Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against the kingdom.

4. South China Morning Post

   21 Oct 2026, 23:48 UTCSource ↗

   Reports, citing US officials, that some diplomats and family members have been ordered to leave Saudi Arabia, and that attacks there killed at least one person at a Dammam airport and two in a drone attack on an oilfield.

5. The Guardian

   22 Oct 2026, 00:26 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that some US diplomats and the families of government employees have been told to leave Saudi Arabia, with similar withdrawals reported in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain.

6. ABC

   22 Oct 2026, 01:02 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the US has ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

7. Deutsche Welle

   22 Oct 2026, 01:48 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the State Department has asked some US diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia because of the threat of Houthi attacks on the Gulf kingdom.

8. Times of Israel

   22 Oct 2026, 02:51 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the US has ordered embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks, and that Saudi reports put the death toll at at least three from strikes on an oil facility and an airport.