🔻U.S. State Department spokesperson: the security alert is only about Saudi Arabia and related to the Houthi attacks

🔻U.S. State Department spokesperson: the security alert is only about Saudi Arabia and related to the Houthi attacks

An hour after reports were published saying that “the United States is preparing to order the withdrawal of staff from its embassies in the Middle East,” a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, while denying those reports, stated that the issued alert is only for American personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia.

Tommy Pigoit, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, wrote on the social media platform X on Wednesday evening: “This report is inaccurate. The U.S. Department of State has issued an order for the withdrawal of nonessential U.S. government employees and their family members from Saudi Arabia.”

The spokesperson explained the reason for issuing the withdrawal order as follows: “Iran-backed Houthis have increasingly been involved in hostile acts against Saudi Arabia. These acts include attacks on non-military airports and other critical infrastructure, which have led to the deaths and injuries of civilians and severe disruption to travel.”

As we reported for you here an hour earlier, French and Reuters news agencies, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the U.S. may soon issue an order to withdraw staff from its diplomatic facilities in the region, including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar.