"US State Department Orders Evacuation of Diplomats Stationed in Saudi Arabia"

The New York Times (NYT) reported on March 8 (local time) that the U.S. Department of State has notified diplomats stationed in Saudi Arabia to evacuate.

According to the NYT, this indicates that the United States recognizes that the level of risk in Saudi Arabia is escalating. This is the first time the State Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order from Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel began a war with Iran on February 28. In recent days, the U.S. government had informed non-essential personnel and their families that they could voluntarily depart if they wished.

On the 5th (local time), smoke rises in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Previously, on March 3, a fire broke out at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia following a drone attack by Iran. On the same day, Iran's drone attack targeted the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where the U.S. Embassy and several other embassies are located. The Saudi Ministry of Defense announced that it had shot down the drone.

The NYT, citing officials, reported that senior diplomats stationed in Saudi Arabia recently requested evacuation orders from their home governments in light of the frequent terrorist attacks.

Since the start of the war with Iran, the United States has expanded evacuation orders for its citizens residing in the Middle East. On March 2, the U.S. issued travel advisories for 14 locations: Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Qatar, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jordan, and Yemen. On March 3, the U.S. government issued mandatory departure orders for non-essential government personnel and their families residing in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq. The U.S. embassies in Kuwait and Jordan have also suspended consular services and are urging U.S. citizens to depart.

The NYT reported that the State Department is facing criticism for not demanding the evacuation of thousands of Americans living in the Middle East before the outbreak of the war, and for not providing sufficient support for their evacuation even after missile strikes began. The only embassies that received approval to evacuate non-essential personnel and families before the outbreak of war were the embassies in Israel and Lebanon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.