In brief
The U.S. State Department has issued an order for certain diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks intensify. Three people have been killed in recent strikes, including two casualties from a drone that hit an oil field and one fatality at King Fahd International Airport. Heightened conflict between Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has spurred multiple missile and drone assaults on Saudi infrastructure, prompting Washington to warn of rapid escalation and to issue evacuation instructions.
The U.S. State Department has ordered certain diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks intensify, following three fatalities across the country.
Saudi authorities confirmed that debris from a drone intercepted during an attempted attack on a major oil field killed two people, while another fatality resulted from a strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The conflict between Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has escalated over the past month. The Houthis have retaliated for Saudi strikes by launching missiles and drones at airports, energy facilities, and military bases, with the latest hit on Riyadh’s international airport proving to be the deadliest in the kingdom’s recent history.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson stated the evacuation notice applies to non‑emergency U.S. government employees and their families, and warned that hostilities could surge further. The spokesperson highlighted attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure as key concerns.
In the most recent strike on King Fahd International Airport, eight individuals sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious, according to officials. Details of the attack remain sparse, but it follows a pattern of repeated Houthi targeting of Saudi aviation hubs.
The energy ministry has yet to disclose the identity of the drone operators aimed at the Shaybah oil field near the UAE border, which injured two people. Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, with a Saudi‑led coalition intervening in 2015 to support the ousted government.
