Newsletters
Washington has ordered all US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, a diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday. The families of embassy staff were also ordered to leave the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, the source said.
The reports did not say why the orders were issued. The AFP account attributed the information to a diplomatic source and cited no official US statement.
The State Department disputed the AFP account. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the report was “inaccurate” and that the department had issued an ordered departure only for non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia.
The orders came the same day Saudi air defenses intercepted a drone aimed at a facility at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province, the Saudi Energy Ministry said.
Two foreign nationals were killed and two others injured. The material provided does not link the drone incident to the departure orders.
A ministry official said air defenses intercepted the drone as it tried to strike one of the field’s facilities, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Debris from the interception set fire to a vehicle belonging to a contractor working at the field. The vehicle was outside the facility’s perimeter, the official said.
The ministry identified the dead as a Philippine national and a Nepalese national. The injured were a Pakistani national and an Indian national.
The ministry said the incident did not affect operations at the oil field. Relevant authorities responded and took the necessary measures, it said.
The incident comes amid escalating hostilities between Yemen’s Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The Houthis have recently threatened to target Saudi energy infrastructure, including facilities operated by Aramco, as fighting in Yemen intensifies.
Shaybah sits in the Rub al Khali, or Empty Quarter, a remote desert in eastern Saudi Arabia near the border with the United Arab Emirates. It is among Aramco’s best-known oil fields.
It has been a target before: in 2019, the Houthis claimed a drone attack on Shaybah’s facilities. That year the group also drew attention for strikes on other Saudi energy sites, which showed how exposed the kingdom’s oil infrastructure is to drones.
The orders cover embassy staff and their families in Saudi Arabia. In the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, they cover the families of embassy staff. The source did not say whether the orders are temporary.
In his statement, Pigott said “Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia,” including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. He said the safety and security of department personnel and their families remain the department’s “highest priority.”
Earlier Wednesday, journalist Timour Azhari said on X that US officials told him the State Department was preparing an ordered departure of some personnel and family members at US embassies across the Gulf. The State Department’s statement did not address that report.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
