US orders embassy staff, families to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks
WASHINGTON, Oct 22 — The United States has ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saud...
On October 22, the United States ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to depart Saudi Arabia following a surge in deadly attacks from Yemen's Houthis, an Iran-backed group. The State Department's Tommy Pigott explained the decision, emphasizing the priority of personnel safety and citing ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure resulting in casualties and travel disruptions.
Saudi Arabia has recently faced multiple Houthi strikes, including a devastating drone attack on Riyadh's international airport, which was the kingdom's deadliest in years, and recent drone attempts targeting an oil facility. The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting six drones, resulting in at least one fatality and eight injuries.
Meanwhile, the United States had previously implemented similar orders ahead of its military conflict with Iran in February and in July, but these orders were lifted after Trump called off further strikes. Iran's state media reported explosions in Hormozgan province, breaking a period of relative calm, while the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran last February, resulting in the death of Iran's supreme leader.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit route, remains a point of contention between the US and Iran, with the US imposing a counterblockade on Iranian ports and ships.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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