The United States and other countries withdraw diplomats from Saudi Arabia for fear of Houthi attacks

BarcelonaThe United States has ordered the withdrawal of some of its diplomatic staff stationed in Saudi Arabia, one of its main allies in the Middle East, following attacks by Houthi militias from Yemen. The petromonarchy is suffering constant attacks from this Iranian-allied group, such as the one that left one dead and eight injured this Wednesday night at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the east of the country. The announcement comes after Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel – Washington's other strategic ally in the region – threatened to attack Iran again after the midterm elections in the United States. The families of personnel at U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain are also being evacuated, while the New York Times has claimed that the Trump administration is preparing plans to resume the war against Iran after the November 3rd election date.

The attacks against "civilian airports and other critical infrastructure" by the Yemeni movement – which has been fighting the Saudi military intervention in the civil war ravaging the country since 2014 – are the cause of the withdrawal, according to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott: "The safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our top priority." The order affects the embassy in Riyadh and also the consulates across the country. The embassy had suffered severe damage at the beginning of the United States' war against Iran and had been operating with minimal staff for months, although some diplomats had returned in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabia has been suffering a succession of deadly Houthi attacks for weeks, including an attack on Riyadh International Airport that has been the deadliest recorded in the kingdom in years, in a context of escalating civil war in Yemen.

The United States had already ordered non-essential personnel to leave the Gulf before the start of the war against Iran, at the end of February. NBC has reported that the U.S. military has been quietly reducing its presence at bases throughout the Middle East in recent days. The withdrawal of personnel from the region comes amid reports that Trump has received plans to resume bombing against Iran after the midterm elections. Last week, Trump said that the United States was considering destroying Iran's Pickaxe mountain, a site linked to the country's nuclear program. However, the president has publicly stated that he has no intention of resuming the war before the November 3 elections.

The New York Times has reported that the United States and Israel have drawn up plans for a "short but intense operation," after Secretary of War Peter Hegseth traveled to Israel earlier this week to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel is holding elections on Tuesday, and they will be the first since the Palestinian attacks of October 7, 2023.