US orders embassy staff, families to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks: Report

The United States has ordered all its embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as the kingdom faces sustained attacks amid escalating tensions with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

"All American staff and their families have been ordered to depart from the US embassy in Saudi Arabia," AFP reported, citing a source. The families of embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain have also been ordered to leave, according to the report.

Drone attack kills two in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said on Wednesday that falling debris from the interception of a drone targeting an oil facility killed two people and injured two others.

"The attempted attack resulted in the deaths of two individuals, a Filipino and a Nepali, and injuries to two others," the ministry said in a statement.

The drone targeted the Shaybah oil field near the UAE border. However, the ministry did not identify who launched it.

Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted six drones launched towards the kingdom, including in the Eastern Province and the Medina region.

"Four drones launched towards the kingdom have been intercepted and destroyed," coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a post on X. He later reported additional interceptions in the Eastern Province and Medina.

The Houthis denied targeting Saudi Arabia. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said their forces had not carried out any operations "deep" inside Saudi territory.

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks this month as the conflict with the Houthis escalates. The Saudi-led coalition has accused the group of attacking Riyadh's international airport 20 times in October, alongside strikes on transport hubs and oil facilities.

During a briefing in Riyadh, al-Malki said, "the Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian facilities, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure."