US orders government staff and families out of Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks
In short
The US State Department ordered US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on the 21st, local time, citing Houthi hostilities against the kingdom. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the order on X while calling a Reuters report on a wider Gulf move inaccurate. Korean outlets said the order raised the question of whether US military action against the Houthis is near.
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The administration of US President Donald Trump ordered US government employees staying in Saudi Arabia to leave on the 21st, local time, Yonhap reported. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed on X that the department had ordered US government employees and their families in Saudi Arabia, except essential personnel, to depart. [ 1 , 2 ]
Pigott said the Iran-backed Houthis are increasingly hostile toward Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other key infrastructure that cause civilian casualties and serious transport disruption. He said the safety and security of department employees and their families remain the top priority. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Reuters, citing three US officials, had reported that the State Department was preparing departure orders for some staff and families at US embassies across the Gulf, in connection with the possibility of renewed hostilities with the Houthis. Pigott called that report inaccurate while confirming the order for Saudi Arabia. Asia Economy, citing AP, said the order covers non-emergency staff and family members at the US embassy in Riyadh and its consulates. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Asia Economy reported that Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport was closed after a large attack on the 10th, and that US government employees must obtain separate permission to use airports in Saudi Arabia. Some flights, including Saudia and flynas, have resumed, it said. It added that the Riyadh embassy was heavily damaged earlier this year during the war with Iran and that some diplomats had recently returned. The US embassy in Riyadh had issued an alert about possible further attacks after the recent Houthi attacks, including on Riyadh airport. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap and Korea Economic Daily said the order fuels speculation about US military action against the Houthis. On the 13th, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Houthis were behaving very badly and that he remains in place after the elections and will never forget, which both outlets read as hinting at military action after the midterms. They noted that the US bombed the Houthis for months early last year without dislodging them. [ 1 , 2 ]
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been at war since the Houthis seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. After a July airstrike on Sanaa airport, the Houthis declared an end to the 2022 truce, and fighting has intensified since, the outlets said. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
Korean outlets link the order to the possible resumption of US military action against the Houthis. The State Department said the Houthis are increasingly hostile toward Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other infrastructure.
Key facts
- The State Department ordered US government employees and their families in Saudi Arabia, except essential personnel, to leave, spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The State Department said the Iran-backed Houthis are increasingly hostile toward Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other key infrastructure that cause civilian casualties and serious transport disruption. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Reuters, citing three US officials, reported that the State Department was preparing departure orders for some staff and families at US embassies across the Gulf, linked to possible renewed hostilities with the Houthis; Pigott called the report inaccurate. [ 1 , 2 ]
- AP reported that the order covers non-emergency staff and family members at the US embassy in Riyadh and its consulates. [ 3 ]
- Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport was closed after a large attack on the 10th, and US government employees need separate permission to use airports in Saudi Arabia. [ 3 ]
- On the 13th, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Houthis were behaving very badly and that he would never forget, which Yonhap and Korea Economic Daily read as hinting at military action after the midterm elections. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The State Department ordered US government employees and their families in Saudi Arabia, except essential personnel, to leave. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Saudi-Houthi war began after the Houthis seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014; the Houthis declared the 2022 truce over after a July airstrike on Sanaa airport, and fighting has intensified since. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The US bombed the Houthis for months early last year without dislodging them. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether US military operations against the Houthis are imminent Outlets raise it as a possibility, linking it to the order and Trump's 13th remarks, but the documents report no decision or plan.
- Exact scope of the departure order Yonhap and Korea Economic Daily describe US government staff and families in Saudi Arabia other than essential personnel, while Asia Economy, citing AP, names the Riyadh embassy and its consulates. Reuters' report of a Gulf-wide order was called inaccurate by the State Department.