The US has ordered all non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia due to heightened 'safety risks' stemming from intensified Houthi attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, including airports and presidential palaces.
The US government has mandated the evacuation of all non-emergency staff and their families from Saudi Arabia, effective October 23rd, citing escalating 'safety risks' from recent Houthi attacks. These Iran-aligned Houthi forces have launched a series of strikes targeting critical infrastructure, including civilian airports, hospitals, and the Maashiq presidential palace complex. A particularly deadly attack on Riyadh’s international airport on October 10th killed at least 13 people, making it the most severe in the kingdom in over a decade. The Houthis have declared the airport a 'military target' and vowed continued assaults, with the US embassy warning of potential further attacks, airspace closures, and travel disruptions. US government employees now require special authorization to use Saudi airports. This escalation in fighting between Yemen's Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition is seen as opening a volatile new front in the broader US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Analysts suggest the Houthi offensive aims to secure control over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea, potentially impacting global oil prices and hindering international crisis resolution efforts, though former President Donald Trump has so far avoided committing to US military intervention.
