Washington orders non-essential staff to leave Riyadh
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mediacongo
The US State Department has ordered non-essential employees at its embassy in Riyadh and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. The measure follows attacks attributed to the Houthis that caused civilian casualties and disrupted travel, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, quoted by AFP.
The US State Department ordered non-essential employees at its embassy in Riyadh and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday 21 October because of Houthi attacks against the country. Spokesman Tommy Pigott cited civilian casualties and severe travel disruption in a message posted on X, Agence France-Presse reports.
An attack killed one person and injured eight at Dammam International Airport in eastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation. Riyadh also said it had intercepted six drones heading towards the kingdom, including one bound for the Medina region.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy also reported two deaths after a projectile was intercepted over the Shaybah oilfield. The victims were Filipino and Nepalese nationals, while Pakistani and Indian nationals were injured. A diplomatic source quoted by AFP said families of US personnel were also being withdrawn from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain; Tommy Pigott specified that the official order applied only to the Riyadh embassy.
The measure follows the departure of US personnel from Riyadh, announced on 21 October. On 22 October, Washington also ordered US diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
