US orders non-emergency staff out of Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks intensify

The United States has ordered all non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia due to “safety risks” from ramped-up Houthi attacks, Independent reports. The US embassy in Riyadh said on Friday that staff members were told to leave on 23 October following a number of strikes in recent weeks targeting civilian airports, hospitals and other critical infrastructure.

The directive follows a strike on Riyadh’s international airport on 10 October that killed at least 13 people and injured hundreds, the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade. The Houthis, an Iran-linked armed group based in Yemen, have vowed to keep attacking the hub, which they branded a “military target”. Officials said the airport reopened on Sunday but intercepted another barrage of drones and missiles the same day.

A Yemeni government forces spokesperson said the Houthis hit Aden airport and the Maashiq presidential palace complex with ballistic missiles. Trump has avoided committing to Houthi strikes.