The State Department ordered the departure of some nonessential U.S. diplomatic staff and their family members stationed in Saudi Arabia following escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group.
The paramilitary group has “increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” a State Department spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Washington Sun, adding that “the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly, including beyond that immediate area.”
The escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis comes at a time when the U.S. and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran, The New York Times reported Wednesday. With the midterms weeks away and the ongoing war with Iran driving up global oil prices, President Donald Trump earlier this month committed to pausing U.S. strikes on Iran until after Election Day.
State Department officials also called initial reports of a more sweeping removal order withdrawing personnel from U.S. embassies and missions in several countries across the Middle East “inaccurate.”
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“The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only,” Tommy Pigott, a spokesman for the State Department, wrote Wednesday on X.
After the U.S.-Iran war broke out in February, American officials had ordered similar diplomatic drawbacks as the conflict intensified in the Middle East.
The Houthis control a significant portion of western Yemen, a country that borders Saudi Arabia. The Iran-supported paramilitary group killed dozens in an attack on a Yemeni government security forces training camp earlier this week and launched deadly attacks on an airport and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia — which has continued to intercept ballistic missiles and drones fired by the group.
Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia have escalated in recent months for several reasons. Saudi Arabia formally recognizes and supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government in its fight against the paramilitary group. And as a major non-NATO ally for the U.S., Saudi Arabia serves as a target for the Iran-backed Houthis as Trump’s war against Iran drags on.
The U.S. military has also reportedly begun discreetly drawing back and moving American forces at bases in several countries in the region, including Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait, NBC News reported Wednesday.
“We regularly move U.S. service members and assets to optimize mission readiness” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command Spokesperson, wrote in a statement to The Sun.
“We do not discuss related movements for operational security reasons,” Hawkins said, but emphasized that “U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to protect American personnel and interests across the region.”
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