US orders non-emergency embassy staff and families to leave Saudi Arabia over Houthi attacks

RIYADH — The US embassy said on Wednesday that non-emergency US government staff and their families were ordered to leave Saudi Arabia from 23 October because of Houthi hostilities, Middle East Eye reported.

All details in this report come from Middle East Eye's account of the embassy's security alert. Zenga News has not independently verified them.

What the embassy said

According to Middle East Eye, the embassy published the security alert in a statement on X. The alert is dated 28 October 2026 and is headed "U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia".

The alert says the Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and their family members to leave the country, effective 23 October. It gives safety risks as the reason.

"Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions," the embassy said, as quoted by Middle East Eye.

The embassy added that "the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area," according to the same report. Middle East Eye described the situation as an ongoing escalation involving Yemen's Houthis.

Airport restrictions

Middle East Eye reported that the alert also sets a new rule for US government employees who work in Saudi Arabia. They now need special authorization from the Chief of Mission to use any airport in the country, the embassy said. It linked the rule to recent missile and drone attacks on airports in the kingdom.

The embassy urged US citizens flying in or out of Saudi Arabia to exercise "extreme caution," according to Middle East Eye. The alert tells US citizens to be aware of the possibility of attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations and travel disruptions. It recommends that travellers check their flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport.

The alert also gave a status update on three major airports, as relayed by Middle East Eye:

• King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh announced a partial reopening as of 23 October. The embassy said it was handling domestic flights and some international flights operated by national carriers.
• A limited number of flights that are normally based at the Riyadh airport are operating from Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Qassim.
• King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are both operational, with some delays and cancellations, according to the alert.

What is not stated

The material provided by Middle East Eye does not say how many embassy employees or family members are affected. It also does not say whether any staff have already left the country, or whether the order covers other US diplomatic posts in Saudi Arabia.

The embassy statement, as reported, refers to "civilian casualties" but gives no figures. It does not say when the attacks on the airports took place, beyond describing them as recent. It also does not list the specific infrastructure that was hit, other than airports.

The report does not include comment from Saudi authorities or from the Houthis. It also gives no information on how long the departure order is expected to remain in place.

The embassy's description of the Houthis as "Iranian-supported" is part of its own statement. Middle East Eye's report does not give any further evidence for that characterisation, and it does not include a response from Iran.

Background

Middle East Eye described the departure order as coming amid an ongoing escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen. The embassy's alert says the Houthis have carried out hostilities against Saudi Arabia that included attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure.

The alert refers to missile and drone attacks, which it calls "UAV" attacks, on airports in the kingdom. It says these attacks have caused severe travel disruptions. The partial reopening of the Riyadh airport on 23 October, the same date the departure order took effect, suggests that flight operations at the capital's main airport had been interrupted before that date. That reading is an inference from the alert's wording and is not stated in the report.

The alert says US government employees working in Saudi Arabia need special authorization to use any airport in the country. This applies to every airport, not only those named in the alert.

An "ordered departure" of non-emergency staff is a step the State Department can take when it judges that the risks at a post have risen. In this case, the embassy's own stated reason is the risk of hostilities spreading beyond the area where the attacks have so far occurred. The embassy did not say which area it meant by "that immediate area," according to the text carried by Middle East Eye.

Middle East Eye published the report on its live blog on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. The embassy's alert was issued the same day, five days after the departure order took effect.