WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department is preparing to order some diplomatic personnel and their family members to leave American embassies across the Gulf region, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in a precaution driven by fears that fighting in the region — particularly involving Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement — could resume or intensify.
The officials stressed that the department is preparing the measure. No departure order has been publicly issued, no departures have been confirmed to have begun, and the State Department has not announced any embassy evacuation. Two of the officials said the preparations could extend to the evacuation of all personnel and their families from the U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia, the largest American diplomatic presence in the Gulf.
Why now
Two of the officials linked the move to a possible resumption of hostilities, particularly with the Houthis, whose missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia have escalated in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert warning of possible further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, following recent deadly strikes including one on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. That October 10 strike killed 13 people, including an American citizen, injured hundreds and forced the airport to suspend operations, according to ABC News.
The preparations also follow a coordinated round of warnings on Sunday, when U.S. embassies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries alerted American citizens to remain vigilant and to prepare for potential disruptions to air travel and other services, according to ABC News. U.S. officials have increasingly described the Houthi campaign as a threat to Americans across the region rather than one confined to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The threat environment has been building on the ground as well: Britain has deployed RAF Typhoon jets on defensive patrols over Saudi Arabia, a training camp attack in Yemen’s Shabwa province killed 73 people this week, and Egypt’s parliament is weighing whether to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia.
What “ordered departure” means
The terminology matters. Under an authorized departure, the State Department permits eligible employees and family members at a post to leave voluntarily at government expense because of a deteriorating security situation. Under an ordered departure — the step officials say is now being prepared — designated non-emergency personnel and family members are required to leave. An ordered departure is a serious precaution, but it is not the same as closing an embassy: core staff typically remain, the mission continues operating, and an ordered departure falls short of a full evacuation of a country’s diplomatic presence. Officials have not said which embassies beyond the Saudi mission would be covered, how many people would be affected, or when an order might take effect.
What is confirmed, and what is not
What is confirmed: U.S. embassies across the region have issued a series of security alerts in the past four days, including Wednesday’s Riyadh alert about possible further Houthi attacks, and U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters, described ordered-departure preparations as under way. What is not confirmed: the final scope of any order, its timing, and whether every Gulf mission would be included. The State Department had not publicly announced a departure order as of Wednesday afternoon Washington time, and no Gulf government had publicly commented on the reported preparations. Because the officials spoke about internal deliberations, the plan could still change if the security picture shifts.
For the many American citizens who live and work in the Gulf states, the practical guidance for now comes from the embassies’ own alerts: stay aware of your surroundings, monitor official security messages, keep travel documents ready, and expect possible disruption to flights and other services if attacks resume.
What happens next
If the department proceeds, a formal ordered-departure announcement — usually accompanied by updated security alerts for each affected country — would be the next step, followed by the organized departure of family members and non-emergency staff. Whether that happens will depend heavily on the Houthis’ next moves and on whether the fragile pause in major attacks on Saudi Arabia holds. Zark News will update this story if the State Department issues a formal order.
Sources: Reuters; ABC News, as reported; U.S. Embassy Riyadh security alert, October 21, 2026.
