State Department confirms evacuation order, citing Iran-backed Houthis' 'increasingly hostile' attacks

Flames rise at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. [Reuters]
Flames rise at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. [Reuters]

The Donald Trump administration ordered US government employees in Saudi Arabia to evacuate Wednesday (local time), fueling speculation that American military operations against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen may be imminent.

Reuters, citing three US officials, reported that the State Department was preparing to issue an evacuation order for some staff and their families at American embassies across the Gulf region, in response to the possibility of renewed hostilities with the Houthis.

The US Embassy in Riyadh had already issued alerts about the risk of further attacks after the Houthis recently struck targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh's airport.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott pushed back on the Reuters report on X, calling it "inaccurate," but confirmed that the department had ordered non-emergency US government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia.

"Iran-backed Houthis are engaging in increasingly hostile acts against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that have caused civilian casualties and significant disruptions to transportation," Piggott said.

He went on to say that "the safety and security of State Department employees and their families remains our top priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them."

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been at war since the rebels seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. Hostilities have intensified after the Houthis declared an end to a truce they had signed in 2022, following an airstrike on Sanaa's airport last July.

Donald Trump had earlier signaled a possible resumption of military strikes against the Houthis after the midterm elections, writing on Truth Social on Oct. 13 that the rebels were "behaving very badly" and warning, "I am still here after the election and will never forget."

The US carried out months of airstrikes against the Houthis in the early months of Trump's second term last year but failed to dislodge the group.


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