The United States has ordered staff who are not essential to emergencies, along with their relatives, to leave its mission in Saudi Arabia. The State Department took the step as attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on the kingdom have grown more frequent.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a social media post on Wednesday that Houthi forces had increasingly taken part in hostilities against Saudi Arabia. He cited attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, which he said had caused civilian casualties and serious travel disruption. Pigott added that protecting department personnel and their families remained the top priority.
State Department disputes report on Gulf embassy departures
Pigott said an earlier media report about US plans to move some staff and family members from embassies across the Gulf was “inaccurate”. Four US officials, however, told a news agency that American missions in other Gulf states would also order family members to leave.
Also read: Saudi Arabia Gets UK and French Forces Amid Houthi Attacks · Iran says Saudi Arabia, Houthis have not answered mediation offer
Yemen fighting widens the regional conflict
The US had brought some diplomatic personnel back to the region in recent months. Many had been pulled out earlier, when Tehran launched attacks on US facilities after the US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. The latest withdrawals follow an escalation of fighting in Yemen, which has opened another front in the wider conflict.
That conflict has disrupted global energy trade and hurt Gulf economies. The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday warning of possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia after recent deadly strikes, including one on Riyadh’s airport. The embassy and a CIA station based there were hit by drones in early March, as Iran began launching attacks across the region.
