State Dept Orders Nonessential Diplomats Out of Saudi Arabia

The State Department on Sunday said it ordered nonessential American diplomats and U.S. government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks.

The U.S. began to pull out nonessential staff from Gulf Arab countries last Monday, three days into the war.

The State Department’s move signals growing concern among U.S. officials about security risks in the region. It marks the first time Washington has ordered an official departure from Saudi Arabia since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began Feb. 28.

In recent days, nonessential U.S. government personnel and family members stationed at diplomatic posts across the region had been authorized to leave voluntarily, but no mandatory departures had been ordered.

The officials who disclosed the new directive spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision publicly.

The ordered departure from the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh follows several recent attacks attributed to Iran near the diplomatic compound.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that two drones struck the embassy area, sparking a limited fire and causing minor damage to the building.