US Orders Diplomatic Departures From Saudi Arabia After Houthi Airport and Oilfield Strikes

Non-emergency US government employees and their family members stationed in Saudi Arabia have been told to leave, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott announced in a social media post. The order covers Saudi missions only, though officials say family members may be pulled from other US posts across the region as hostilities escalate. Attacks killed at least one person and wounded eight at a civilian airport in Dammam, while a drone strike on an oilfield left two dead. The Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen were identified as the source of the strikes on civilian targets. Washington had sent some diplomatic personnel back to the region in recent months; many had been withdrawn when Tehran attacked US facilities following the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in late February.