The State Department says the mandatory departure order applies to Saudi Arabia only, as President Trump weighs direct military action against the Iran-backed group.
The Trump administration has ordered non-emergency US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, as Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom intensify. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the order on Wednesday and said it covers Saudi Arabia only, pushing back on reports of a wider evacuation across the Gulf. The attacks have killed civilians, disrupted air travel and left Riyadh scrambling for more missile defences. President Donald Trump is considering whether to order direct strikes on the Houthis.
The order
Mr Pigott said: “The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only.” He added: “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 order covers non-emergency personnel and eligible family members, not every American in the country. According to the research notes, the US Embassy in Riyadh has also required special permission for airport travel, and was already running with reduced staff after earlier attacks. Reuters reports that officials are considering staffing measures at other Gulf missions, and the Associated Press says some will temporarily cut personnel. These are distinct from a confirmed region-wide order.
The attacks
Houthi strikes and attempted strikes on Saudi Arabia more than doubled in a single week this month, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Airports in Riyadh, Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Abha have been targeted since 5 October. The deadliest barrage hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said two people were killed and two injured at the Aramco-run Shaybah oilfield when debris from an intercepted drone set a contractor’s vehicle on fire, according to the research notes. The dead were a Nepalese and a Filipino worker, and the injured a Pakistani and an Indian worker. Officials reported no disruption to oil production. The airport in Riyadh, closed after an attack on 10 October, has resumed limited domestic flights with Saudia and flynas, while major international carriers still suspend some services.
Saudi Arabia has postponed its Future Investment Initiative conference, due on 26 to 29 October, until 2027, and two other events have reportedly been cancelled. US crude rose in after-hours trading to about $97.58 a barrel from $97.15 after reports of the departure order, though the move cannot be pinned on one development.
Trump’s options
Mr Trump has left open joining Saudi strikes on the group. “We may. We’re gonna look at it,” he told reporters earlier this month. “We’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Riyadh has asked Washington for more missile interceptors, but US officials warn that global demand is straining supply. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday: “I also talked to Saudi Arabia today; they’d like interceptors. Israel would like interceptors. We would like interceptors. Every country in the world would like interceptors.” He called them “probably the most in-demand product right now in the defense field”.
Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House, told Fox News Digital: “Saudi Arabia is a huge geography to protect, and this speaks to a larger threat we’re facing globally: a relatively small nonstate actor can pose a serious challenge to even a sophisticated and extremely expensive military.” He added: “The Houthis can impose enormous costs without having to spend very much themselves.”
Allies
Britain announced on Tuesday that it would deploy Typhoon jets to help defend Saudi cities and infrastructure. A parliamentary statement on 20 October says its support includes an A400M transport aircraft, military advisers working with Saudi staff officers and 90 more days of air-to-air refuelling. The Ministry of Defence says the Typhoons will not carry out offensive strikes on Houthi targets, though the statement confirms refuelling can support Saudi defensive operations that involve strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen.
Egypt is helping the kingdom and has offered aircraft and air defences, but a decision on deployment has reportedly been deferred to 26 October. Israel has offered help, and France is providing defensive support.
