U.S. Orders Non-Emergency Staff and Families Out of Saudi Arabia as Dammam Airport Attack Death Toll Reaches Two
The U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, as the death toll from an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam rose to two. The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, as the death toll from an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam rose to two.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said Thursday that a second person had died from injuries suffered in the Wednesday evening attack. The dead are a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident, the authority said. Eight people remain injured: one Saudi citizen, two Indians, two Yemenis, two Bangladeshis and one Nepali, with injuries ranging from minor to critical. All are being treated in several hospitals.
The authority had initially reported one death and eight injuries on Wednesday night, along with material damage that was still being assessed. Airport operations resumed Thursday morning and air traffic has returned to normal, it said.
State Department orders departure
“The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X. He said the Iran-backed 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.”
CNN reported that a few other U.S. diplomatic posts in the region are also adjusting their staffing, and quoted a State Department official as saying, “This is about the Houthis.” The department issued a security alert Wednesday warning Americans of potential attacks on airports and general travel disruptions. U.S. government employees in Saudi Arabia now need special authorization from the chief of mission to use any airport in the kingdom, the alert said.
Attacks hit oil fields and shipping, not just airports
The Dammam airport strike was one of two deadly attacks on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted at least 16 drones on Wednesday and Thursday, including one aimed at the Shaybah oil field in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. That attack killed two expatriate workers and injured two others, according to Saudi authorities.
CNN reported Thursday that the Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for both deadly attacks. The group has also been striking oil infrastructure and Red Sea shipping, rattling energy markets. Brent crude climbed above $112 a barrel this week as traders weighed the threat to Gulf oil flows.
Britain said Tuesday it would deploy fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia, and Egypt pledged support in recent days. The United States has stepped up intelligence and targeting support for the kingdom, though President Donald Trump has so far decided against direct strikes on the Houthis.
Reporting based on coverage by CNN, The Wall Street Journal and The Gulf Gazette.
