The State Department on Wednesday ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia. The order follows a rise in attacks on the kingdom by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen 12.
A U.S. official and a senior U.S. military official also told CBS News that the military has been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East. They cited ongoing threats from the Houthis and direct threats from Iran 1.
What the State Department said
Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a post on X that the order applies to Saudi Arabia only. He was pushing back on a report that it could reach other Gulf states 1.
Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,
Other reports were less clear. Reuters reported the government was preparing to order some personnel and family members out of embassies across the Gulf, The Hill said. Agence France-Presse later reported, citing a diplomatic source, that families of embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain were told to leave 2. The State Department's own statement, as Pigott gave it, covered Saudi Arabia only 1.
CBS News learned that several other embassies have cut staffing under a status called "restricted operations." That status lets embassies reduce staff and services without fully closing. It is not the same as an ordered departure, which is a mandatory evacuation of designated diplomatic staff and their families 1. The department introduced the status in August amid flare-ups in the war with Iran 1.
The attacks behind the order
The Houthis have fired drones and missiles at Saudi airports and oil facilities in recent weeks. An Oct. 10 strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured more than 300. One of the dead was an American 1.
Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said Tuesday that air defenses blocked a drone attack on the Shaybah oil field. Two people were killed and two injured by falling debris 1. The Hill reported the incident as happening Wednesday 2.
Some Saudi officials have blamed Iran for the Houthis' conduct. Iran has denied any role in the escalation 1.
What the White House has said
Asked about the reports of departures, President Trump told journalists he did not know about them 2. After the Riyadh attack, he did not rule out strikes on the Houthis, saying "We may." 1
It is not clear whether the administration plans to help Saudi Arabia defend itself. The United Kingdom has offered support, including defensive air operations 1.
Why it matters
The State Department says the fighting could spread. A spokesperson told The Hill the hostilities "have the potential to escalate rapidly, including beyond that immediate area." 2
The Houthis sit near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key sea passage for a large share of the world's oil. It has become more important because of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the U.S.-Iran war 1.
That matters to families with loved ones in uniform or working overseas. The shrinking of the U.S. footprint is being described only by anonymous officials, and the public has heard little detail on what is being pulled back or why. Congress and voters will want answers before Election Day on Nov. 3.
The Record
- The State Department introduced "restricted operations" status for embassies amid flare-ups in the war with Iran (reported as August, no exact day) 1.
- A Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured more than 300; one American was among the dead 1.
- The State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia 12.
Sources
- CBS News, “U.S. ordering some government staff to depart Saudi Arabia” (2026-10-21). cbsnews.com/news/us-saudi-arabia-ordered-departure-houthis/
- The Hill, “Major hostilities brewing? US orders departure of some embassy staff, families from Gulf region” (2026-10-21). thehill.com/newsletters/defense-national-security/6164305-ma
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