U.S. Orders Embassy Staff to Leave Saudi Arabia as Attacks Escalate

(U.S. Flag Photo by Vanguard News)
The United States has told its non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia.

The State Department announced the move on Wednesday, as Houthi attacks on the kingdom keep rising.

The State Department said Iran backed Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia more and more.

Their targets include airports and key infrastructure, and civilians have been hurt.

A strike on Riyadh's international airport this month was the deadliest in years.

On Wednesday, falling debris from a drone that was shot down over an oil site near the UAE border killed two people, a Filipino and a Nepali.

Two others were hurt.

Separately, one person died and eight were wounded in an attack on Dammam airport.

A diplomatic source said some embassy families are also being pulled out of the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain.

The State Department says the order only applies to Saudi Arabia.