State Department orders diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia

The US State Department ordered some diplomats and family members of US government employees to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 21, 2026.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the mandatory departure applies only to Saudi Arabia, not other Gulf states. He described reports of similar withdrawals from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain as inaccurate. NBC and AFP reported that families of US embassy personnel were being withdrawn from those countries, and four US officials told Reuters that missions in other Gulf states would also order family members to leave.

The order covers the US Embassy in Riyadh and satellite consulates. Some diplomats had returned to the embassy in recent weeks or months before the new departure order, after it had been running on skeleton staff for months. Before the war against Iran began in late February, the US told non-essential staff to depart the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia has faced near-daily attacks from the Houthis in October as the war with the group escalates. The deadliest barrage struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300, described as the kingdom’s deadliest in years. Houthi strikes shut down Riyadh’s airport on Oct. 10, 2026.

On Oct. 21, 2026, an attack on King Fahad International Airport in Dammam killed one Saudi resident and injured eight people. The airport suffered material damage and flights were diverted away. Falling debris from the interception of a drone targeting the Shaybah oil field near the UAE border killed two people and injured two others; the Saudi energy ministry identified the dead as a Filipino and a Nepali. The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting six drones on Oct. 21, 2026.

According to ACLED, a single week in October saw more than double the Houthi strikes and attempted strikes against Saudi Arabia. The Houthi missile and drone campaign targeted airports in Riyadh, Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Abha since Oct. 5, 2026.

King Khalid International Airport partially reopened for domestic flights on Oct. 21, 2026 with limited traffic. Saudia and FlyNas were operating flights at the airport, while Lufthansa and Air France canceled flights through mid-November. FlightAware data tracked Saudia and FlyNas operations.

Attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure have caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, adding that Iranian-supported Houthis are stepping up hostilities against Saudi Arabia. He stated: “The safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our highest priority.”

The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Oct. 21, 2026 about possible further Houthi attacks. The embassy and a CIA station in Riyadh came under drone attack in early March. The US State Department issued a new travel alert on Oct. 21, 2026 warning that hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond the immediate area.

Britain announced on Oct. 20, 2026 that it would deploy Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. Egypt is assisting Saudi Arabia, and Israel has offered to help defend against Houthi attacks. Riyadh has asked Washington for more missile interceptors. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said interceptors are probably the most in-demand product in the defense field.

President Donald Trump is weighing whether to launch direct US military strikes against the Houthis. Trump said the United States might join Saudi strikes against the Houthis and that a decision would come quickly. The US conducted a roughly two-month bombing campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen in 2025 before Trump halted it following an Oman-brokered agreement. The US continues to provide intelligence and targeting support to Saudi Arabia as Trump weighs another round of strikes.

A four-year truce in Yemen collapsed in June, reviving the civil war that dates back to 2014. The Houthis have acknowledged attacking King Khalid International Airport, claiming without evidence that Saudi Arabia provided military equipment to government forces through the facility. The latest withdrawals follow an escalation of fighting in Yemen, opening another front in the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

In July, the US again ordered non-essential staff out of the Gulf, and President Donald Trump called off a planned wave of strikes. In late February, the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader and senior military commanders. Iran has attempted to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, demanding all ships seek its authorization to cross. In retaliation, the US has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports and ships.

Last week Trump said the US was looking to knock out Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear program. The New York Times reported that the US and Israel developed plans for a short but intensive operation after Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth traveled to Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. NBC said the US military is drawing down its presence at bases throughout the Middle East in recent days.

Late on Oct. 21, 2026, Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in the Karpan area of Sirik, in Hormozgan Province. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, said the ballistic missile hit a military camp beside Yemen’s Aden airport in the Khor Maksar district.

Australia raised its travel advice for Saudi Arabia to do not travel last Friday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Oct. 21, 2026 on X that Iran remains open to diplomacy if the US demonstrates willingness to build trust.

Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House, said a small nonstate actor can pose a serious challenge to even a sophisticated and expensive military. He said the Houthis can impose enormous costs without having to spend much themselves.