US orders staff departures as Houthi attacks escalate in Saudi Arabia
publishers 102articles 186first reported 6 Oct, 13:30 UTCdeveloping since 6 Oct · 24 editions
The United States ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensified, including deadly strikes on an airport and an oil facility.
Saudi authorities said an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed one person and injured eight. Earlier Wednesday, two people were killed when Saudi air defenses intercepted a drone targeting Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield, according to the Energy Ministry. Operations at the field were unaffected.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the departure order applied only to Saudi Arabia and rejected reports that it covered US diplomatic families elsewhere in the region. The National reported conflicting accounts, however: four US officials told Reuters that missions in other Gulf states would also direct family members to leave, while a diplomatic source told AFP that families in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain had received departure instructions.
The attacks pushed Brent crude above $110 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate traded near $98, amid concern that the fighting could disrupt energy supplies.
French President Emmanuel Macron made an unscheduled visit to Riyadh during a Gulf tour to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Macron’s office said the visit was intended to demonstrate France’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia in response to Houthi attacks.
Washington has provided Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting assistance but has not agreed to Riyadh’s requests for US strikes against the Houthis. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi separately sought parliamentary authorization on October 17 to act in Saudi Arabia’s defense if requested.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 372 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 102
- Source articles
- 186
- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 372 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →