U.S. government employees in Saudi Arabia must now seek special permission from the Chief of Mission before using any airport within the country. The restriction accompanies a State Department order, effective Oct 23, for non-emergency government staff and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia. The departure order was issued following Iranian-supported Houthi missile and drone strikes on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that resulted in casualties and severe travel disruptions.
The State Department also updated travel advisories for U.S. citizens in the Gulf and Middle East, including Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, citing the risk of increased Houthi regional aggression. While King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh partially reopened for domestic and some international flights on Oct 25, other missions in the region have issued specific warnings, including a security alert for the Dahieh area of Beirut regarding the risk of airstrikes and rocket fire.