US orders non-emergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia over security risks

The US Department of State ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia effective October 23, according to Gulf News and Al-Monitor. The US Mission to Saudi Arabia issued a countrywide security alert on October 30, citing safety risks and Houthi attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure. Al-Monitor and the Jerusalem Post report that US government employees now require special authorization to use Saudi airports following recent missile and drone attacks.

The security advisory warns US citizens of potential further attacks, airspace closures, flight cancellations, and travel disruptions, noting that hostilities could escalate rapidly beyond currently affected areas. Gulf News reports that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh partially reopened on October 23 for domestic flights and some international services, while some flights normally based in Riyadh are using Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Qassim.

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam remain operational but are experiencing some delays and cancellations.

Brief written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post, Gulf News, Al-Monitor, Ajel English — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.