The State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members out of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, citing Houthi attacks on airports and infrastructure. The same day, reports said the U.S. and Israel had drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterms.
The order covers the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and its satellite consulates, The Guardian reported. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department’s safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our highest priority.
The sources do not say when the order takes effect or how many people it affects.
Houthi Strikes on Saudi Airports Drive the Order
Pigott said on X that 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,
according to The Independent.
Security Alert: U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia (October 21, 2026)Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. The… pic.twitter.com/cRvHCuSgCQ
An ordered departure
is mandatory for designated personnel and eligible family members, Ynetnews explained. Under an authorized departure,
by contrast, staff may choose to leave, according to background reporting from CNN via Yahoo.
The embassy had been badly damaged at the start of the U.S. war on Iran and ran with a skeleton staff for months, though some diplomats had returned, The Guardian said. By late August, Ynetnews reported, the State Department had begun easing earlier restrictions.
Reuters: "The US State Department is preparing to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members from US embassies across the Gulf region, three US officials said on Wednesday. The move was due to a possible resumption of hostilities, particularly…
Wednesday’s Strikes Leave Differing Counts
According to Fox News, the deadliest barrage hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, leaving at least 13 people dead and more than 300 wounded.
A strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam injured eight. According to the AP, the Saudi Energy Ministry stated that debris from a drone that was intercepted killed two people and injured two more at an oil field in the country’s southeast that Aramco operates. The Guardian said neither attack was immediately claimed by the Houthis.
Trump supporter or not, moving diplomats is a step to provide optionality in case he wants to attack Iran post mid-terms.#oott https://t.co/z6owjic82q
Previous U.S. alerts for Saudi Arabia noted that U.S. government personnel need special permission to use any Saudi airport.
Pigott Says Saudi Only, but Other Reports Differ
Pigott called reports of wider Gulf withdrawals inaccurate
and stressed the order applies to Saudi Arabia only, The Guardian and Aol reported.
The U.S. military has quietly been scaling back its troop presence at bases across the Middle East in recent days, and the State Department is ordering a further reduction in staff at multiple diplomatic posts in the region, according to two U.S. officials and two people familiar…
Other accounts point the other way. The Guardian said NBC and AFP reported family withdrawals from the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. CNBC said Reuters reported Washington also plans to withdraw family members from other missions. Ynetnews, citing three U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters, said the department was preparing an ordered departure across Gulf embassies, without identifying which ones.
The AP, carried by the Orange County Register, said other Gulf embassies would see temporary staffing changes, though they are already under restricted operations.
NBC News, citing two U.S. officials and two people familiar with the matter, reported that the military has quietly scaled back its presence at Middle East bases. The Independent, relaying NBC, said troops in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait were moved. A U.S. Central Command spokesperson told NBC that service members are regularly moved to optimize mission readiness
, per The Guardian.
Iran Strike Plans After November 3 Are Reported, Not Approved
The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for a short but intensive
operation against Iran after the midterms, CNBC said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on an unannounced trip this week. Likely targets, per the Times, are energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and missile and drone arsenals.
President Donald Trump has not approved fresh strikes and has repeatedly vetoed a return to major combat this year, CNBC reported. The Guardian said he has publicly stated he does not intend to restart the war before the November 3 elections.
The outlets frame the departures differently. The Independent’s headline ties them to fears the U.S. could join strikes on the Houthis; The Guardian and CNBC set them beside the Iran planning. None of the sources establishes a link, and Pigott’s stated reason is the Houthi campaign. Fox News noted Trump is also weighing action against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia is seeking more help. Britain said Tuesday that RAF Typhoons would fly defensive missions over the kingdom, Ynetnews reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked about air defense, said Every country in the world would like interceptors,
per Fox News.