RIYADH: The United States ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia effective Oct 23 due to safety risks, the US embassy in Riyadh said on Friday, citing Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure.
US government employees require special authorisation to use Saudi airports following recent missile and drone attacks, the embassy said, warning US citizens of potential further attacks, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis targeted the presidential palace in Aden on Friday with two missiles, a police official said, hours after Saudi forces said they had intercepted an attack by the group on the Gulf kingdom.
Two eyewitnesses told AFP they saw ambulances entering the palace in Aden, a large compound made up of several buildings including facilities used by government and Saudi-led coalition forces, after the incident.
Shortly before, residents said they heard two blasts in the city.
The Saudi coalition said on Friday it had intercepted and destroyed a drone near the Saudi capital of Riyadh, as well as a missile fired towards the country’s southern region.
In two posts on X, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said forces had destroyed the drone in Riyadh province as well as “a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region”.
Earlier on Friday, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone in the Makkah region, with the group denying it targeted holiest city. Hours later, Malki reported another drone interception, this time over the Madina region.
Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2026
