US orders departure of personnel from Saudi Arabia, citing Houthi threat

US State Department says Iran-aligned Houthis have ‘increasingly ⁠⁠engaged in hostilities’ against Saudi Arabia.

Buildings line King Fahd Road in the Olaya district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 14, 2026 [File: Baraa Anwer/AP]

The United States Department of State has ordered the departure of nonemergency government employees and their family ⁠members from its mission in Saudi Arabia as attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on the kingdom have ramped up.

“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,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a social media post on Wednesday.

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“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,” he added.

Pigott said that an earlier media report on US plans for the departure of some personnel and family members at US embassies across the Gulf was “inaccurate”.

More departures possible

Four US officials told the Reuters news agency that US missions in other Gulf states would also be ordering family members to leave.

The US had returned some diplomatic personnel to the region in recent months after many were pulled out when Tehran launched attacks on US facilities after the US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February.

The latest withdrawals follow an escalation of fighting in ⁠Yemen, opening another front in the regional conflict triggered ⁠by the war. The conflict has snarled global energy trade and hurt Gulf economies.

The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks by ‌the Houthis on Saudi Arabia after recent deadly strikes, including on Riyadh’s airport.

The embassy and a CIA station hosted there came under attack by drones in early March, ‌as ‌Iran began launching attacks across the region.

美国国务院表示，与伊朗结盟的胡塞武装“日益加剧了对沙特阿拉伯的敌对行动”。

2026年10月14日，沙特阿拉伯利雅得奥拉亚区法赫德国王路两旁林立着建筑物。[图片：Baraa Anwer/AP]

由于伊朗支持的胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯王国的袭击愈演愈烈，美国国务院已下令非紧急政府雇员及其家属撤离其驻沙特阿拉伯使团。

美国国务院发言人汤米·皮戈特周三在社交媒体上发帖称：“伊朗支持的胡塞武装越来越多地参与针对沙特阿拉伯的敌对行动，包括袭击民用机场和其他关键基础设施，导致平民伤亡和严重的旅行中断。”

从一战到胡塞武装：英国向沙特阿拉伯提供喷气式飞机，巩固了长期的军事关系（列表 1/3）

问题 2（共 3 题）：英国和法国是否被卷入沙特阿拉伯与胡塞武装的冲突？

马克龙突访沙特，法国确保额外柴油供应（共3条，此为第3条）

“保障部门人员及其家人的安全仍然是我们的首要任务，我们将继续采取一切必要措施来保护和支持他们，”他补充道。

皮戈特表示，此前媒体报道美国计划撤离驻海湾地区部分美国大使馆人员及其家属的消息“不准确”。

可能还有更多出发日期

四名美国官员告诉路透社，美国驻其他海湾国家的使团也将命令家属离开。

近几个月来，美国已将一些外交人员重新派往该地区。此前，由于德黑兰在2月底美以对伊朗发动战争后袭击了美国设施，许多外交人员被撤离。

最新一轮撤军行动发生在也门战事升级之后，这为这场由战争引发的地区冲突开辟了新的战线。这场冲突扰乱了全球能源贸易，并重创了海湾国家的经济。

美国驻利雅得大使馆周三发布安全警报，称胡塞武装可能对沙特阿拉伯发动进一步袭击，此前胡塞武装曾对沙特阿拉伯发动致命袭击，其中包括对利雅得机场的袭击。

3月初，伊朗开始在该地区发动袭击，美国驻伊朗大使馆和驻伊朗的中央情报局站遭到无人机袭击。