United States orders partial diplomatic departure from Saudi Arabia

The United States Department of State has ordered some diplomats and family members of government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, according to reports by The Guardian, the South China Morning Post, and Reuters. The decision follows a series of near-daily aerial attacks targeting infrastructure across the kingdom. [1][2][6]

At least three people were killed in strikes on Wednesday evening, the Guardian reported. The South China Morning Post reported that one person was killed and eight were injured in an attack on a civilian airport in Dammam, while a separate drone strike on an oilfield killed two people. [1][2]

The attacks were carried out by Iranian-supported Houthi militants based in Yemen, who have targeted airports and vital infrastructure. Reports have also emerged of similar diplomatic withdrawals being planned or considered across the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain, according to the Guardian. [1][2][11]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the United Kingdom announced plans to deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to fly defensive missions over Saudi Arabia following earlier Houthi strikes on Riyadh and coastal energy facilities. Australia had also raised its travel advisory for the kingdom to do not travel. [8][13][14]