Washington Orders Non-Essential Staff to Leave Saudi Arabia as Shaybah Attack Kills 2
Key Facts
The United States ordered its non-essential government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia, a move the State Department linked to escalating attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure in the kingdom. Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed that the departure order covers only non-essential U.S. personnel and their families in Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. He said attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis had caused "civilian casualties and severe travel disruption," outlining the consequences that prompted Washington's decision. Meanwhile, 4 U.S. officials told the agency that U.S. missions in other Gulf countries would also order family members to leave. Pigott's announcement concerned both employees and families in Saudi Arabia, while the officials described arrangements for families to leave other missions.
On the day the departure order was announced, an attack targeted the Shaybah oil field, killing two expatriate workers and injuring two other people, according to Saudi authorities cited by CNN. The attack on the oil facility followed earlier strikes that affected civilian aviation in the kingdom. In its coverage dated 9 October 2026, Reuters cited Saudi authorities as saying Thursday's attacks on Riyadh airport killed 3 people. Britain's Foreign Office also said King Khalid International Airport was hit by a missile strike on 10 October 2026. The ministry warned that the airport remained a target and was vulnerable to further attacks, as part of its travel warnings for Saudi Arabia.
The departure order follows an earlier update to the U.S. travel advisory, issued on 29 August 2026, which indicated that family members were permitted to travel to Saudi Arabia. The advisory issued on 12 October 2026 kept the kingdom at Level 3, under which the State Department urges U.S. citizens to "Reconsider Travel." The U.S. call to reconsider travel thus remained in place during the period preceding the order for non-essential employees and their families to leave. On government personnel travel, the department requires U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia to obtain special authorization to use any airport in the kingdom. The authorization requirement extends to all Saudi airports, amid the risks the State Department linked to its decision, including travel disruption caused by attacks.
The departure comes against a backdrop of earlier changes to the U.S. diplomatic presence in the region, as Washington had brought some of its diplomatic staff back in previous months, according to Reuters. It had withdrawn many of them following Iranian attacks on U.S. facilities after the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. In the background to Saudi market trading, the 20 September 2026 session saw a decline after the Houthis announced they had targeted Riyadh, according to earlier Reuters coverage. The Saudi index pared early losses to close down 0.3% in that session, which preceded the decision for employees and families to leave. ACWA Power shares fell 2.8%, a decline the agency cited among the factors weighing on the index at the time.
Alongside the diplomatic measures, the United States increased its military support for Saudi Arabia through additional intelligence assistance and targeting support, according to CNN. The network also reported Egypt's pledge to provide "all necessary and possible forms of support" to the kingdom. On the day before the U.S. departure decision, Britain announced it would deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks. In its operational update, Britain's Ministry of Defence specified the mission the jets would undertake when deployed. The ministry said the aircraft "will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis," defining the scope of Britain's announced air support for Saudi Arabia.