US Orders Non-Emergency Personnel to Leave Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks

The State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia effective October 23, and U.S. embassy security alerts issued through October 28 still carry the order. The department announced the move on October 21, after a run of deadly attacks on the kingdom by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and growing fears of a wider escalation.

“Effective October 23, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and U.S. government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks,” the embassy said. The order covers the embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates, the State Department said. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said “the safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our highest priority.”

What the Embassy Warned

The alert says Iranian-supported Houthis have attacked civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, causing civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions, and that the hostilities “have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.” It urges U.S. citizens to use “extreme caution” if they fly in or out of the kingdom and to check flight status with the airline and the airport. It does not tell private citizens to leave.

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport partially reopened on October 25 for domestic flights and some international flights by national carriers. Jeddah and Dammam airports were operating with delays and cancellations. Emergency consular services remain available. The State Department kept Saudi Arabia at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” when it updated the advisory on October 23, citing the higher risk of Houthi attacks and Iranian efforts to target U.S. officials in the region.

Restrictions on Remaining Staff

U.S. government employees still working in Saudi Arabia need special authorization from the Chief of Mission to use any airport in the country, following recent missile and drone attacks on airports. They may not travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border, and they need special authorization to go to the provinces of Jizan, Asir and Najran or the cities of Qatif, Yanbu and Taif.

A Mission Already Stretched Thin

The Riyadh embassy was badly damaged at the start of the U.S. war on Iran and had run on a skeleton staff for months, though some diplomats had returned in recent weeks, according to AP and The Guardian.

Pigott said the order applies to Saudi Arabia only. He called reports that families were also being pulled from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain “inaccurate,” after NBC and AFP reported such moves, The Guardian said. The paper also cited the New York Times as reporting that the United States and Israel have drawn up plans for a “short but intensive operation” against Iran. Trump has said he does not intend to restart the war before the November 3 midterm elections.

Attacks Keep Hitting Saudi Airports

A Houthi missile hit a passenger terminal at Riyadh’s King Khalid airport on October 10, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300, according to Saudi figures. The Saudi-led coalition said on October 15 that the Houthis had launched 20 attacks on that airport since October 1, and that attacks on airports across the kingdom had left 19 dead and 364 injured. Saudi aviation authorities said two people were killed at Dammam’s King Fahd airport in overnight attacks reported on October 22.

On Thursday the Houthis claimed six attacks on Saudi targets: the Ras Tanura and Rabigh refineries, an Aramco facility at Abqaiq, airports in Riyadh and Dammam, and a military headquarters in the Najran region. Al Jazeera noted there was no independent corroboration. The coalition said its air defenses destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh, and shrapnel wounded one Saudi citizen. Clash Report also reported that the Houthis claimed a ballistic missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s biggest refinery earlier this week.

Diplomacy Has Not Stopped the Strikes

The attacks have continued despite a four-way meeting in Tehran on October 26 that brought Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman together with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, Türkiye’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei. Participants agreed to keep talking about regional security. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry stressed the need for negotiation channels to prevent a return to military escalation. Clash Report earlier reported that Riyadh airport was evacuated after a suspected Houthi strike.