The Trump administration has ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as deadly Houthi missile and drone attacks continue to batter the kingdom, the State Department confirmed Wednesday. The mandatory departure order — which applies only to Saudi Arabia — comes as President Donald Trump weighs whether to launch direct U.S. military strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis, whose campaign has killed civilians and disrupted air travel across the region.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott pushed back on reports that Washington was preparing a broader evacuation across the Gulf, telling reporters: "The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only." Pigott added that "Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions."
The order follows a dramatic escalation in Houthi attacks. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, strikes and attempted strikes on Saudi Arabia more than doubled in a single week this month, with airports in Riyadh, Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Abha targeted since Oct. 5. The deadliest barrage struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300 — the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade, according to the BBC.
Saudi Arabia has spent decades and tens of billions building one of the region's most sophisticated militaries. Riyadh spent an estimated $83.2 billion on defense last year, making it the eighth-largest military spender in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Yet the Houthis have repeatedly punched through those defenses, exposing gaps that have forced Riyadh to turn to allies for help.
Britain announced Tuesday it would deploy RAF Typhoon fighter jets to defend Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in a written statement that the aircraft "will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis." Egypt is already assisting the kingdom, and Israel has offered to help, according to Fox News. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is asking Washington for additional interceptors.
"The theme right now, I think, is defensive or defensive-minded," Jason Campbell, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital. The question, he said, is whether that evolves into something "more offensive or kinetic."
"These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis." — British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting
The Houthis, locked in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognized government, have been retaliating for strikes on territory they control. A Houthi missile strike on a camp in Yemen's central Shabwa province killed more than 70 security personnel earlier this week, according to the BBC. The Houthi-run health ministry claims Saudi air and artillery strikes have killed at least 141 people and injured 395 since Sept. 3. Yemen's government health ministry says at least 1,282 people have been killed across the country since Aug. 6.
For everyday Americans, the stakes are clear: a wider war in the Middle East could disrupt global energy supplies and draw U.S. forces into another conflict. The Houthis have already targeted Saudi energy infrastructure, threatening the economic stability Riyadh has spent years trying to project. Trump's decision on whether to strike directly will shape not only the security of the Gulf but the price Americans pay at the pump.
The departure order is a stark signal that Washington views the threat as serious. It also raises questions about the safety of remaining diplomatic personnel and the future of U.S. operations in the kingdom. The State Department did not specify how many personnel would leave or when the order takes effect.
Our Take
Here's the reality: the Houthis are not a ragtag militia — they are an Iran-backed proxy with ballistic missiles and drones that just killed 13 people at a major international airport. The Biden administration spent four years projecting weakness, and the Houthis filled the vacuum. Now President Trump faces the consequences. He is right to weigh direct strikes. The Houthis understand only strength, and a defensive posture — British jets flying patrols, interceptors racing to keep up — will not eliminate the launchers and weapons threatening Saudi cities and global energy supplies. It's time to take the fight to the source. The American people should not have to pay higher gas prices because the Houthis are allowed to hold the Strait of Bab al Mandab hostage. Trump should act decisively, and he should do it soon. What do you think? Should Trump order strikes on the Houthis? Let us know in the comments.
