In brief
The U.S. State Department has ordered some diplomats and their families to leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following a spate of violent Houthi attacks that have claimed three lives. Saudi authorities reported two fatalities from a drone that was intercepted near the Shaybah oil field, and one death at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where the strike injured eight people. The conflict between Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has escalated over the past month, with the rebels targeting airports, energy facilities and military bases in retaliation for what they call a Saudi blockade. The U.S. warned that the hostilities could rise rapidly, adding that the attacks could further destabilise the region.
The U.S. State Department has instructed a number of American diplomats and their families to depart the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after a surge of lethal attacks attributed to Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthis, which have seen three deaths and widespread destruction.
Saudi officials reported that debris from a thwarted drone aimed at the Shaybah oil field caused two fatalities, while an assault on the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam claimed a third life and left eight people injured. The explosion and ensuing fire were captured in footage circulating on social media.
The attacks are part of a broader escalation between the Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia that has intensified over the past month. The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014, have launched missiles and drones at Saudi airports, energy facilities and military bases in retaliation for what they call a Saudi‑led blockade and recent aerial strikes on their territory.
The U.S. State Department warned that the hostilities “have the potential to rise rapidly,” urging Americans in the region to remain vigilant. The latest strike on King Fahd International Airport left many injured; officials said injuries ranged from minor to serious. Meanwhile, the energy ministry has yet to identify the party behind the drone aimed at the Shaybah oil field near the United Arab Emirates border.
The conflict, which has simmered since the 2015 Saudi‑led intervention in Yemen, had been in a fragile ceasefire for four years before breaking down in July after the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and intensified missile and drone attacks on the Kingdom’s infrastructure.
The ongoing tensions risk further destabilisation of the region, a concern that has prompted the U.S. to impose stricter security measures for its citizens abroad.
