The United States will restrict the movement of US civil servants to two Saudi cities, after repeated attacks by Yemeni Houthis against the Gulf country, the State Department announced today.
© FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
20/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ Dgiven the current security situation in Saudi Arabia, U.S. government officials working in the kingdom now have to obtain a special permit for any movement, professional or personal, to the cities of Taif and Yanbu,” the U.S. Department of State announced in a statement released on the X.
The United States today claims to fear a “quick escalation” of hostilities in the Middle East, following the attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on Saudi Arabia, whose capital was the first target of these pro-Iran fighters in months.
Donald Trump, who was supposed to spend the weekend at Camp David's presidential residence in Maryland, returned to Washington on Saturday night.
The White House, which has so far stayed away from the conflict in Yemen, has given no explanation.
However, this early return occurs at a time when a new level has been reached in the hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi, which control much of neighbour Yemen and fight government forces, supported by a coalition led by Riyadh.
Today, Donald Trump reiterated his contact with the Houthis, according to Fox News. He said that “these had agreed not to fight the United States,” the journalist who spoke to him reported.