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US orders embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks

Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the order covers Saudi Arabia only, not the wider Gulf. Saudi authorities say three people were killed on October 21 at the Aramco-operated Shaybah oil field and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

By Rowan Ashby Published 22.10.26 02:44 UTC 5 min read

The US Embassy building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, illuminated in green at night — U.S. Embassy in Riyadh / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain · Source

Key takeaways

The US State Department has ordered non-emergency US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the order covers Saudi Arabia only, not the wider Gulf.
The State Department cited growing attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iranian-backed Houthis, including strikes on civilian airports and critical infrastructure.
Three people were killed in two incidents on October 21, according to Saudi authorities: two at the Aramco-operated Shaybah oil field and one at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
Saudi officials have not publicly said who launched the drone aimed at Shaybah. Reports carrying the aviation authority's statement on the Dammam airport attack did not name an attacker either.

Why the US ordered embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia

The US State Department has ordered non-emergency US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing growing Houthi attacks on the kingdom. The order covers Saudi Arabia only, not the wider Gulf, spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on October 21. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia helped push Brent up 6.24% that week; see our oil price weekly brief to Oct. 23.

His post replied to a Reuters report that the department was preparing ordered departures across several Gulf embassies. In it, he said "Iranian-supported Houthis" had stepped up hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure. He added that the safety of department personnel and their families is the department's highest priority, according to AFP.

Original post: @statedeptspox on X, October 21, 2026, 19:24 UTC

What happened

Earlier on Wednesday, October 21, Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said air defences had intercepted a drone aimed at a facility at the Shaybah oil field, near the border with the United Arab Emirates. Falling debris killed two people and injured two others, the ministry told AP. AP reported that those killed were a Nepali and a Filipino national, and that debris set fire to a contractor's vehicle at the site. According to AFP, the ministry did not say who launched the drone.

Later on Wednesday, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the Eastern Province, killed one person and injured eight. GACA said the injuries ranged from minor to critical and that all the wounded were taken to hospital, Al Jazeera reported. News agencies carried the statement in the early hours of October 22 UTC.

The US Embassy in Riyadh also issued a security alert on Wednesday, warning of possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Time / date	Development	Source
October 10, 2026	Attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport kills 12 and injures more than 300; airport closed	Saudi civil aviation authority via Al Jazeera; Reuters
October 11, 2026	Projectile strike on the same airport kills one and injures 11	Saudi authorities via Al Jazeera
October 21, 2026 (earlier in the day)	Debris from intercepted drone kills two at Shaybah oil field	Saudi Energy Ministry via AP, AFP
October 21, 2026, 19:24 UTC	State Department confirms ordered departure from Saudi Arabia only	@statedeptspox on X; Reuters
October 21, 2026 (evening)	Attack on King Fahd International Airport, Dammam, kills one and injures eight	GACA via Al Jazeera, AFP

What we know and what we don't know yet

Confirmed

The ordered departure covers non-emergency US government staff and family members in Saudi Arabia, according to the State Department spokesperson.
Three people were killed in the two incidents on October 21, according to the Saudi Energy Ministry and GACA.
The Houthis acknowledged attacking Riyadh's main airport earlier this month, Reuters and AP reported. They claimed, without evidence, that Saudi Arabia was using the airport to supply military equipment to Yemeni government forces.

Not yet clear

Who launched the Shaybah drone. The Saudi Energy Ministry has not attributed it.
Who carried out the Dammam airport attack, and with what weapon. No responsibility was attributed in reports carrying the GACA statement.
Other Gulf missions. Four US officials told Reuters that missions in other Gulf states would also order family members to leave. An AFP diplomatic source named the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. Pigott did not address those missions, and no official order for them had been published at the time of writing.
How many people are leaving. No figure has been published.

Background: Yemen's war spills over the border

Yemen's civil war dates back to 2014. A Saudi-led coalition has backed the country's internationally recognised government since 2015. According to AFP, a truce that had held for about four years collapsed in June 2026. Since then, Saudi Arabia has faced near-daily attacks. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted six drones earlier on Wednesday.

The order also comes against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in late February 2026. Washington pulled many diplomats out of the region when Tehran retaliated against US facilities, then sent some back in recent months, Reuters reported. AFP noted that the US had also ordered non-essential staff out of the Gulf in July.

Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has been closed since October 10. Reuters and AP reported that a limited number of Saudi airlines resumed some flights there on Wednesday with prior permission, while Lufthansa and Air France have cancelled Riyadh flights through mid-November.

What it means

An ordered departure is a step above an authorised departure. Non-emergency staff and family members are required to leave, rather than merely allowed to. Embassy and consular services may be reduced while it is in force. US citizens in Saudi Arabia can follow embassy security alerts and the State Department's travel advisory for updates.

The attacks also touch Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure and its main air gateways, both of which matter to global energy and travel markets. For recent oil price moves and the wider market reaction, see our oil daily brief, gold daily brief and report on Hong Kong's early-trade slide. Earlier context on the regional backdrop is in our Asia and Europe markets wrap.

We will update this story as Saudi, US and Houthi officials release more information.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the US order embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia?

The State Department cited increasing hostilities by the Iranian-backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure, according to spokesperson Tommy Pigott's post on X on October 21, 2026.

Does the US ordered departure cover other Gulf countries?

The State Department spokesperson said the order applies to Saudi Arabia only. Four US officials told Reuters that other Gulf missions would also order family members to leave, but no official order for those missions had been published at the time of writing.

How many people were killed in the October 21 attacks in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi authorities reported three deaths: two from drone debris at the Shaybah oil field, according to the Energy Ministry, and one in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.