US orders non-emergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia

The order follows an embassy alert issued the day before and strikes this month on Riyadh and Jeddah airports and Aramco's Dhahran headquarters

The US State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency government employees and their family members from Saudi Arabia. The measure goes beyond the embassy alert issued the day before and marks the strongest protective step short of a full evacuation.

The movement later said it was preparing for all-round escalation.

The US Embassy's alert the day before cited Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia following confirmed strikes on Riyadh's airport and Aramco's Dhahran headquarters. Flight operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were suspended earlier this month as the Houthi campaign reached the Saudi capital. On Monday, October 19, a Houthi military source warned airlines off Saudi airspace, and an explosion was reported in Riyadh that Saudi authorities had not yet confirmed or explained. The United States Oil Fund was down 0.18% at $161.47 a share that day, following a Houthi claim of fresh strikes on Saudi infrastructure.

The UK is flying defensive missions and France is deploying military resources alongside Saudi Arabia. The US order adds an official American signal that the risk to personnel and operations in the kingdom has moved past routine monitoring, after a month that has already included strikes on two major airports and Aramco's Dhahran headquarters.