US orders staff out of Saudi Arabia as Houthi strikes kill at least three
The US State Department has ordered non-emergency staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, as attacks by Yemen's Houthis on the kingdom escalate. At least three people were killed in strikes on an airport and an oil field on Wednesday evening, the Guardian reported.
What Washington said
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.
The State Department warned that the hostilities "have the potential to escalate rapidly", the BBC reported. The embassy in Riyadh had been badly damaged at the start of the US war on Iran and had run on a skeleton staff for months, the Guardian said.
The overnight attacks
Casualty reports differed. The BBC and Reuters reported one death at Dammam airport. The Guardian cited the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority as saying two people were killed there and eight injured. Flightradar24 said flights were diverted away from the airport.
Neither attack was immediately claimed by the Houthis, the Guardian said. But airports and oil sites have been their main targets in recent weeks. A recent strike on Riyadh's international airport was the kingdom's deadliest in years, the BBC said.
How the war reached Saudi Arabia
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Houthis oust Yemen's government from Sanaa; Saudi-led coalition intervenes |
| Four years to July 2026 | Informal ceasefire largely holds |
| July 2026 | Houthis declare a "maritime embargo" on Saudi Arabia and start missile and drone attacks |
| Recent weeks | Near-daily attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on airports and oil facilities (Guardian) |
The Houthis say they are retaliating for what they call a Saudi blockade and an air strike on Sanaa airport. Their embargo in the Bab al-Mandab Strait has pushed up oil prices, because Saudi Arabia has relied on the Red Sea for exports since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed, the BBC said.
