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US Orders Diplomats to Leave Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks
· Confirmed
In Short: Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom) agreed that the US State Department has ordered diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing Houthi attacks.
The US State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating attacks by Houthi forces, according to Al Jazeera (Qatar) and The Guardian.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) reported that two people were killed in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, while The Guardian noted that the State Department spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, said the safety and security of department personnel and their families remain the highest priority.
BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, and that there are plans to withdraw family members from a number of US missions in the region.
Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) reported that Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis to reverse their seizure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with Turkish drones and Pakistani military equipment already in use in Yemen, according to regional and Western officials.
Indiatoday (India) reported that India found support from Brazil, Russia, and China in its efforts to craft a carefully worded statement that talked about ending wars and conflicts without hurting the sentiments of any country.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom) both reported that the attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed two people, a Saudi national and an Indian resident, and injured eight others.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom) also reported that earlier in the day, two people were killed after Saudi air defences intercepted a drone that was attempting to hit a facility at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield.
Both Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the US State Department has issued similar evacuation orders on more than one occasion this year amid the Iran war and Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against Tehran.
The reports from Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom) align on the fact that the US State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia due to the threat of Houthi attacks.
What this adds
The US State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure intensify, according to multiple reports.
Background
The US State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure intensify.
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority announced on Thursday that operations at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam have resumed and air traffic has returned to normal, according to Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Gulfnews, Hindustan Times (India), and Minutemirror (Pakistan).
What's confirmed
- Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement on Thursday that the number of people killed in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in the eastern city of Dammam has risen to two – a Saudi national and an Indian resident.
- At least two people were killed in a strike on a Saudi airport in the eastern city of Dammam on Wednesday, as Washington ordered some diplomats and family members to leave the Gulf country.
- "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 wrote on X.
- Saudi Arabia's revived war with the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has intensified in recent weeks, with the Yemeni rebels targeting several major Saudi airports.
- The US has issued similar evacuation orders on more than one occasion this year amid the Iran war and Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against Tehran.
- It did not say who was behind the attack and the Houthis did not claim responsibility.
- Earlier on Wednesday, the Saudi Energy Ministry said forces successfully intercepted a drone targeting an oil facility, but that falling debris killed two people and injured two others.
- Pigott denied the reports, saying they were "inaccurate" and that only employees in Saudi Arabia were ordered to leave.
- To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said a strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday evening killed two people and injured eight others.
- The US State Department has asked some US diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia because of the threat of Houthi attacks on the Gulf kingdom.
What's still developing
- It was the latest in a series of assaults on Saudi infrastructure as conflict intensifies between Houthi forces and the Saudi-backed internationally recognised Yemeni government.
- Malaysian MP Pleads in Javanese for Prabowo to End Haze Foreign Minister Warns Indonesians Against Joining Protests in Europe UK Fighter Jets to Protect Saudi Arabia from Houthi Attacks The UK is providing military support to Saudi Arabia amid repeated attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
- Egypt's El-Sisi Says He'll Defend Saudi Arabia, If Asked Egyptian president El-Sisi said his country was ready to defend Saudi Arabia "if requested."
- Ethiopia on Thursday ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours and said it was closing its embassy in Eritrea, sharply raising tensions between the neighbours.
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- The move came after Ethiopia earlier announced the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata.
- The European Union has said that it "strongly condemns" an attack the previous day by a group of Israeli settlers on visiting European diplomats.
- On Thursday, Ethiopia announced that it was closing its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, accusing them of activities that threatened national security.