U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that the U.S. has issued an evacuation order solely for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families stationed in Saudi Arabia. Pigott posted on X that the move was due to increasing hostile actions by Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, which have resulted in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. He also clarified that previous media reports claiming the evacuation covered Gulf countries such as the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain were inaccurate.