State Department orders partial drawdown at Riyadh embassy

Deadly Iran-backed Houthi attacks hit Riyadh airport, Saudi energy and oil infrastructure

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday ordered non-essential personnel and family members to leave its embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, citing an increased threat from Iranian-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a social media post that the department had issued an “ordered departure” for some employees and their families.

In the post, Pigott wrote that “Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.”

Pigott also said in the post that another report alleging planned departures from embassies throughout the Middle East was inaccurate. He said, “The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them.”

The State Department’s security alert, also issued Wednesday, warned U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia to be aware of possible attacks on airports, flight cancelations and other travel disruptions.

The alert said, “U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization from Chief of Mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia following recent missile and UAV attacks on airports in the Kingdom.”

UPI reported that recent deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants had struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as Saudi energy and oil infrastructure.

Background

UPI also reported that attacks had escalated in Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis were fighting the internationally recognized national government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Some U.S. diplomatic personnel had only recently returned to the region after the United States evacuated them earlier in the year during Iranian attacks on U.S. facilities, including embassies, in response to U.S. attacks on Iran. The Saudi Arabia embassy was among those closed.

The State Department’s order follows an Oct. 10 cruise missile strike on Riyadh’s main airport by Iran-backed Houthi militants that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, and a subsequent public warning to travelers and airlines from the group against using Saudi airports.