US orders non-emergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on airports continue
The US Mission in Saudi Arabia has confirmed that non-emergency government employees and their families were ordered to leave the kingdom effective 23 October, citing Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure.
The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks, the US Mission in the kingdom said in a security alert, citing attacks by Iranian-supported Houthis on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure.
The departure order took effect on 23 October, according to the alert issued by the US Mission on Friday, 30 October. It applies specifically to non-emergency US government personnel and their families, and does not require all American citizens living in or visiting Saudi Arabia to leave the country.
The alert said the Houthis had engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that resulted in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. It warned American citizens of the possibility of further attacks, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruption, and said the hostilities had the potential to escalate rapidly.
US government employees still working in Saudi Arabia now require special authorisation from the Chief of Mission to use any airport in the kingdom, following recent missile and drone attacks on airports. They are also prohibited from travelling within 20 miles of the Yemen border, and special authorisation is required for travel to Jizan, Asir and Najran provinces, as well as Qatif, Yanbu and Taif.
The alert gave an update on the kingdom's major airports. Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport partially reopened on 23 October for domestic flights and some international services operated by national carriers, after weeks of disruption that followed repeated strikes on the hub.
The fighting between Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognised government has intensified in recent weeks, opening a volatile new front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran. An attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on 10 October killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to Reuters.
Saudi defences have continued to intercept Houthi drones and missiles in recent days, including a drone over the Riyadh region, another over the Makkah region and a ballistic missile aimed at the southern region on Friday. The Houthis have also claimed strikes on Saudi energy facilities, including refineries at Ras Tanura and Rabigh and a production facility at Abqaiq, and have threatened further attacks on airports and oil installations.
The security situation has sharply divided airline schedules. Emirates resumed Dubai-Jeddah flights on 30 October, with Riyadh and Dammam to follow on 8 November, while flydubai scheduled services to Riyadh, Dammam and Abha from 30 October. Etihad Airways, by contrast, has extended all Saudi cancellations through 5 November. Regulators still classify Saudi airspace as high risk, with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's conflict zone bulletin running through 16 November and a US Federal Aviation Administration caution notice in effect through 10 December.
Saudi Arabia also took part in a high-level Gulf military meeting in Bahrain on Thursday, as Gulf Cooperation Council member states stepped up consultations on regional security and defence coordination. The kingdom's Chief of the General Staff, General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, led the delegation to the meeting of the Supreme Military Committee of GCC chiefs of staff.
The US alert remains in force as a countrywide warning, and emergency consular services are available for US citizens in the kingdom. Whether the departure order is eased will depend on whether the Houthi campaign against Saudi airports and infrastructure subsides, and on whether commercial aviation can return to normal schedules in the coming weeks.
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