US orders some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate
The US State Department has ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia following an escalation in Houthi-led drone and missile attacks. Recent strikes have targeted civilian airports and energy infrastructure, resulting in multiple casualties.
Why it matters
The evacuation signals a significant deterioration in regional security and heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Toby Mann Reuters Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis also attacked the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh earlier this month The US State Department has ordered some diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as attacks escalate, with three people killed in strikes across the country.
Saudi authorities said debris from a drone intercepted during an attempted attack on an oil field killed two people, while one person died after a strike at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
Conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has been rising in the past month.
The Houthis have responded to Saudi strikes by launching missiles and drones at airports, energy facilities and military bases in Saudi Arabia. A recent strike on Riyadh's international airport was the deadliest in the kingdom in years.
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