The United States is preparing to order some diplomatic personnel and their families to leave American embassies in the Persian Gulf amid concerns over renewed hostilities involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, according to three U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.
The State Department is considering an “ordered departure,” a mandatory security measure requiring designated employees and eligible family members to leave their posts. Essential diplomatic operations would generally continue.
The officials did not specify which embassies would be affected, how many people would be required to leave or when the order could take effect.
The preparations follow intensified Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and a series of security warnings issued by American embassies across the Middle East.
Houthi Attacks Raise Regional Security Concerns
U.S. diplomatic missions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other regional countries issued coordinated security alerts Sunday, warning American citizens that hostilities involving the Houthis could spread beyond Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The warnings followed several attacks on Saudi transportation and energy infrastructure, including an October 10 strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people, including an American citizen, and injured hundreds.
The airport resumed limited domestic operations Wednesday, although international flights remained severely disrupted. Saudi-led coalition forces also reported intercepting five Houthi drones targeting Medina.
The escalation prompted Britain to announce Tuesday that Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets would conduct defensive operations over Saudi Arabia. The deployment also includes military advisers and an A400M transport aircraft.
London said the mission would focus on protecting Saudi cities and infrastructure rather than conducting offensive strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
Renewed Fighting Follows Months of Regional Tensions
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north, have intensified attacks against Saudi targets since fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces resumed in July.
The October 10 attack on Riyadh’s international airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Another strike the following day killed one person and injured 11 others, according to Saudi authorities.
The violence has disrupted aviation and raised concerns over regional energy infrastructure and commercial shipping. Saudi Arabia has sought additional defensive assistance from international partners as its air defenses face continuing missile and drone threats.
The latest developments also coincide with stalled diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, adding to uncertainty over the possibility of a wider confrontation.
The United States previously withdrew diplomatic personnel from several Middle Eastern posts following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in February. Restrictions began easing in August, allowing employees and family members to return to some missions.
A new mandatory departure order would reverse part of that process, although the State Department had not announced the scope or implementation date of the proposed measure as of Wednesday.
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