American employees of the US diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia have been ordered to leave the country under mandatory departure orders issued by the State Department, according to current and former US officials quoted by The New York Times on Sunday.
The move marks the first time the State Department has approved or issued what it calls an ordered departure in Saudi Arabia since the current war with Iran began on February 28.
In recent days, nonessential US government employees and family members stationed at diplomatic missions across the region had been told they could leave voluntarily. Until now, however, no mandatory departure orders had been issued, according to The New York Times.
Officials who described the new directive spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information publicly.
The ordered departure at the US Embassy in Riyadh comes after several attacks attributed to Iran targeting the building and nearby areas. On Tuesday, the Saudi Defense Ministry said the embassy had been attacked by two drones, causing “limited fire and minor material damage to the building."
Following the incident, the embassy urged people to stay away from the area, stating there had been “an attack on the facility." It also issued a security alert and a shelter in place notification for Americans in Riyadh, as well as in Jeddah and Dhahran, cities that host US consulates.
According to an official, American government employees at those consulates have also been instructed to prepare for possible ordered departures.
Early Sunday, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced it had shot down another drone that had been aimed at the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh, where the US Embassy and diplomatic missions of other countries are located.
The State Department later confirmed the report.
On Friday, Bloomberg reported that Saudi Arabia has stepped up its direct engagement with Iran in a bid to try and contain the war in the Middle East.
European officials quoted in the report said that Saudi officials have in recent days deployed their diplomatic backchannel to Iran with greater urgency to de-escalate tensions and prevent the conflict from worsening.
The Washington Post reported, soon after the start of the strikes on Iran, that President Donald Trump launched the attack on Iran after a weeks-long lobbying effort by the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia.
According to the sources, the Saudi Crown Prince made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a US attack, in contrast to his public calls for a diplomatic solution.
Saudi Arabia vehemently denied the report, with a spokesperson for the Saudi embassy in Washington writing, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been consistent in supporting diplomatic efforts to reach a credible deal with Iran."
“At no point in all our communication with the Trump Administration did we lobby the President to adopt a different policy," he added.