Saudi Attacks Prompt U.S. Evacuation, Oil Fears

The US State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensify. The order follows strikes in which three people were killed: Saudi authorities said debris from a drone intercepted near an oil field killed two, while one person died in an attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Eight people were injured in the airport incident, with injuries ranging from minor to serious. Officials have not provided details about that attack or identified who launched the drone aimed at the Shaybah oil field near the United Arab Emirates border. The State Department said the Iran-backed Houthis had increasingly attacked civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, causing casualties and serious travel disruption. It warned that the hostilities could escalate quickly. Houthi missile and drone attacks have targeted Saudi airports, energy facilities and military bases, following Saudi strikes in Yemen. A recent attack on Riyadh’s international airport was described as the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in years. The conflict is rooted in Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa. Fighting escalated in 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore the government. An informal ceasefire had held for four years before breaking down in July. The Houthis said their attacks were retaliation for a Saudi blockade and an air strike on Sanaa airport, which they blamed on Saudi Arabia. The group’s declared maritime embargo in the Bab al-Mandab Strait has also contributed to higher global oil prices. Saudi Arabia had been using the Red Sea to export oil after the US-Israel war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency embassy employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on the kingdom have intensified. The order applies only to Saudi Arabia, spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, correcting reports that it might cover other Gulf states. Several other U.S. embassies in the region have reduced staffing and services under “restricted operations” but have not ordered evacuations. U.S. military personnel have also been quietly reducing their presence at some Middle East posts amid threats from the Houthis and Iran, according to U.S. officials. The security measures follow warnings to Americans in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere to exercise caution and prepare for travel disruption. Recent Houthi drone and missile attacks have targeted Saudi airports and oil facilities. A strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport earlier in the month killed 12 people, including an American, and injured more than 300. Saudi authorities and a Saudi-led coalition have also reported intercepting drones, including an attack on the Shaybah oil field; falling debris there killed two people and injured two others. The Houthis control a large part of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and have been active in the country for more than a decade. Some Saudi officials accuse Iran of backing the group, while Iran denies involvement in the escalation. The conflict also has potential international consequences because the Houthis are near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major oil-shipping chokepoint whose importance has grown amid disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran war. Yemeni political adviser Marwan Ali Noman warned that Houthi attacks could expand without a response and said his government is seeking international assistance. The United Kingdom has offered Saudi Arabia support, including defensive air operations. It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will provide assistance. President Trump has not ruled out strikes against the Houthis and has described their actions as very bad.

The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing escalating attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces on civilian targets. The withdrawal comes amid reports that U.S. and Israeli militaries have developed plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections. The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials, described preparations for a possible “short but intensive” operation, although President Donald Trump has not approved new strikes and has previously rejected plans to resume major combat this year. U.S. and Iranian officials are still negotiating over Tehran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, even as threats and military preparations raise concern that the nearly eight-month conflict could expand. Recent attacks in Saudi Arabia have killed at least three people: a strike at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed one and injured eight, while a drone attack on the Shaybah oil field killed two. Saudi authorities said the oil field’s operations were unaffected. The article also reports stepped-up U.S.-Israeli military exercises and an unannounced visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Potential targets in any renewed strikes could include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have threatened to widen attacks to data centers and undersea internet cables and have refused nuclear concessions. The developments are affecting energy markets. Brent crude rose above $110 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate gained 1% to $98.12. Although oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered to near pre-war levels, Kpler analyst Muyu Xu said recovering Chinese demand could support prices. China’s crude inventories have been falling sharply, but the country retains an estimated 1.1 billion barrels in reserves. Chinese refiners may increasingly seek Middle Eastern crude and alternatives to Iranian oil, potentially limiting further declines in Dubai crude pricing.

A deadly strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam coincided with a US order for non-essential embassy staff and family members to leave Saudi Arabia, amid intensifying Houthi attacks. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority said the Wednesday evening strike killed one person and injured eight. It was assessing damage to the airport, but did not identify who carried out the attack; the Houthis did not claim responsibility. Flightradar24 reported that flights were being diverted as airport operations halted. Earlier that day, Saudi forces intercepted a drone aimed at an oil facility, according to the Energy Ministry. Falling debris killed two people, identified as Filipino and Nepali nationals, and injured two others. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed that non-essential employees and family members at the US embassy in Riyadh had been ordered to depart. He cited increased Houthi hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure that caused casualties and travel disruption. Reuters and AFP, citing unnamed sources, reported that similar departure orders had been issued in other Gulf countries. AFP named the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain. Pigott rejected those reports as inaccurate and said the order applied only to US personnel in Saudi Arabia. The article notes that the US had issued similar evacuation orders more than once earlier in the year, amid the Iran war and Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against Tehran. It also reports that a four-year truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels collapsed amid the Iran war, with Saudi Arabia facing near-daily attacks that month.

Brent crude rose above $110 a barrel on Thursday after a Houthi drone strike near Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield heightened fears about threats to Saudi energy infrastructure and global oil supplies. Brent was up 1.7 per cent to $110.63 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate gained 1.4 per cent to $98.52. At Shaybah, Saudi air defences intercepted a drone targeting a processing plant. Debris fell near the facility, killing two people and injuring two others, and caused a fire after striking a contractor’s vehicle. Saudi authorities said oilfield operations were unaffected. Shaybah produces about one million barrels of crude a day and lies in the Empty Quarter near the UAE border. The strike was followed by an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where one person was killed and eight injured. The Houthis had not commented on that airport attack. The incidents form part of a widening campaign against Saudi infrastructure. Earlier in the month, an attack on Riyadh’s main international airport was described as the kingdom’s deadliest in more than a decade. The East-West pipeline, an alternative route for crude exports that avoids the Strait of Hormuz, was also damaged in a Houthi strike on a pumping station east of Riyadh. Crude flows were reportedly halted on October 5. The pipeline can carry about seven million barrels a day from eastern oilfields to Red Sea export terminals. The United States ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure. With Saudi production facilities and alternative export routes under threat—and routes already strained by the Iran war—the repeated attacks are adding a geopolitical risk premium to oil prices.

The United States has ordered non-essential diplomatic personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensify. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the order applies only to non-emergency US government employees and their relatives in Saudi Arabia, rejecting reports of a broader withdrawal from Gulf countries. However, four US officials told Reuters that diplomatic missions in other Gulf states would also direct family members to depart, and a diplomatic source told AFP that families in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain had been told to leave. The security measures followed attacks on Saudi infrastructure. A strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday killed one person and injured eight. The airport suspended operations at about 11.15pm local time, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Earlier that day, two people were killed when Saudi air defences intercepted a drone targeting the Shaybah oilfield, according to the Energy Ministry. The State Department cited increasingly frequent Houthi hostilities, including attacks on civilian airports that have caused deaths and severe travel disruption. The US embassy in Riyadh also warned of possible further attacks. The airport strike pushed oil prices higher: Brent crude rose above $110 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate traded at about $98. The article places the latest attacks within a broader regional escalation. It says fighting in Yemen has opened another front in a conflict that has disrupted global energy trade and harmed Gulf economies. US diplomatic personnel had previously been withdrawn after Iran attacked US sites following the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in late February; some staff returned to the region in recent months. The latest departures therefore add to a series of security-related evacuations, even as Washington disputes claims that its current order extends across the Gulf.

The supplied page is a live Middle East news update from The National, dated October 22, 2026, and marked updated at 4:20 a.m. Its headline reports that one person was killed in an attack on Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia. The extracted page text does not include a full report describing the incident, identifying the victim, or giving details about the attacker, the weapon, or the circumstances. It therefore supports only the limited conclusion that the outlet was reporting a fatal attack at the airport. The page’s other headlines indicate a wider regional-security focus. They mention Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian saying negotiations cannot proceed under sanctions and threats, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi seeing little prospect of progress in US talks, and Saudi-led forces intercepting drones launched toward Madinah and the Eastern Province. Other listed updates concern Middle East oil exports recovering to prewar levels through alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing regime change in Iran as a key objective, and a report that Donald Trump opposed a multi-day Israeli bombing campaign. The page also promotes related video coverage, with titles about Saudi forces striking vessels carrying Houthi weapons, the UAE president meeting Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, Egypt’s president pledging to defend Saudi Arabia, and an Egyptian flight attendant killed in a Riyadh attack. These are headlines and video teasers, not detailed accounts in the provided text. Overall, the material presents a fast-moving picture of conflict, diplomacy, drone threats, and regional economic disruption. Because the underlying live-update entries are absent from the supplied content, further specifics or connections among the events cannot be verified from this page extract.

An attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia, killed one person and injured eight, according to the country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The injured had injuries ranging from minor to critical and were taken to hospitals for treatment. The report did not specify who carried out the airport attack or what weapon was used. The airport incident came amid a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia as conflict intensifies between Houthi forces and Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised government. Earlier the same day, Saudi air defences intercepted a drone attempting to strike a facility at the Shaybah oilfield, operated by Saudi Aramco. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said two people were killed in that incident. The article also recalls recent attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Saudi Arabia reported that a projectile strike on October 11 killed one person and injured 11. A separate attack on the same airport on October 10 reportedly killed 12 people and injured more than 300. The security situation prompted the United States to order diplomats and their family members to leave US missions in Saudi Arabia. US officials told Reuters that there were also plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the region. The US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert warning of possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The article presents the airport attack as part of a worsening pattern of violence, while reporting the casualties and official responses without assigning responsibility for the Dammam incident.

A resident of Saudi Arabia was killed and eight people were injured in a late-Wednesday attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. The airport, located in the kingdom’s Eastern Province near Bahrain and Qatar, also sustained material damage. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that flights were diverted away from the airport overnight. The attack occurred amid a broader wave of Houthi strikes on Saudi infrastructure, including airports. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, had not commented on the airport attack at the time of the report. Saudi authorities said the coalition intercepted four drone attacks in the Eastern region. The report also describes other recent incidents linked to drone attacks and interceptions. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said debris from an intercepted drone killed two people and injured two others at the Shaybah oil field, which is operated by Aramco. The people killed were Nepali and Filipino nationals; those injured were Pakistani and Indian nationals. Falling debris also ignited a contractor’s vehicle at the oil field. In the previous month, debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident of Saudi Arabia, described in the article as the first civilian casualty since the Houthis intensified attacks against the kingdom, including strikes targeting shipping and oil facilities. Earlier in the current month, a limited fire broke out in an administrative building at an Aramco facility in the Eastern Province after it was targeted in an attack, the Energy Ministry said. Together, the incidents underscore the risks to civilians and critical infrastructure from the expanding campaign of attacks and interceptions across Saudi Arabia.

The live updates describe escalating security risks across the Middle East as indirect U.S.-Iran discussions over a proposed seven-day ceasefire continue. U.S. officials say the military is quietly reducing its footprint at regional posts because of threats from Iran and Iran-backed Houthi militants. The Pentagon says it routinely adjusts deployments to maintain readiness and declined to discuss specific movements for operational-security reasons. The State Department has ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, while several U.S. embassies have restricted operations. Attacks have caused deaths and injuries in Saudi Arabia. An attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed at least one person and injured eight, with damage being assessed. Separately, falling debris from an intercepted drone aimed at the Shaybah oil field killed two people—a Filipino and a Nepali—and injured two others. Saudi airports and energy infrastructure have faced repeated threats, and Riyadh’s main airport has partially resumed flights, though some international carriers have canceled service. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says indirect negotiations are ongoing through mediators over a ceasefire proposal first rejected by President Donald Trump in September. He says the U.S. is seeking additional clauses and warns that choosing war over diplomacy would bring an even greater strategic failure. An Iranian Revolutionary Guard official also threatened to target undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz and other U.S. investments if Washington strikes Iranian infrastructure. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on a Greek-Panamanian law firm and shipping agents it accuses of supporting Iran’s oil “shadow fleet,” which uses concealed ownership to evade sanctions. Meanwhile, Trump said the U.S. was doing well but had not made a final decision about how to win the war. The updates portray a conflict marked by worsening regional threats, civilian casualties, disrupted travel, military precautions, economic pressure, and uncertain diplomacy.