US State Department allows some staff in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Cyprus, to leave

The US State Department has authorised non‑emergency employees and eligible family members at its missions in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Cyprus to leave those countries, in the latest diplomatic drawdowns amid continued Iranian attacks on US government and military facilities across the Middle East.

In its updated security alert for Saudi Arabia, the department cited ‘an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran’ following a recent drone strike on the US embassy compound in Riyadh.

The notice also warned that the US government has ‘limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Saudi Arabia’ under current conditions.

Separate notices for Cyprus and Oman cited heightened ‘safety risks’ as the reason for authorising voluntary departure of non‑essential staff and family members.

The moves came after a drone targeted RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Monday, a key hub for UK air operations in the Middle East and believed to be the first attack on the British base since 1986.

Oman, which has long played a mediating role between Washington and Tehran, has largely avoided direct strikes in the current conflict. But officials say the country’s commercial port at Duqm — on the eastern coast — has been hit by Iranian drones on more than one occasion.

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