US issues travel advisories across Middle East citing Houthi threat

WASHINGTON — The US State Department has updated its travel advisories for roughly a dozen countries in the Middle East, warning of potential regional spillover from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

“These advisories are not indicative of new capabilities from the Houthis, but reflect the strikes we have seen over recent days, including on the airport,” a State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We want Americans to have the most up to date information, and the possibility of regional effects, including the potential for flight disruptions, makes a region-wide advisory update important and prudent,” the official added.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman are among the countries covered by the latest travel advisories. The alerts follow the State Department’s order on Wednesday for nonessential staff of the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia and their family members to depart in response to a recent wave of Houthi attacks. Other US embassies in the region remain under “restricted operations” status, allowing them to adjust their number of on-site personnel.

"When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment," a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region.”

The official confirmed the existence of an Oct. 23 memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that said Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target US officials in the Middle East, with deadly plots reaching "advanced stages." Axios first reported on the intelligence memo.

The State Department has a longstanding “no double standard” policy, meaning that when it shares credible threat information with US government personnel, it is generally also required to inform private citizens of the potential danger.

After four years of relative calm between the two sides, the Houthis declared in July a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have since expanded their campaign to target the country’s aviation and energy infrastructure.  An Oct. 10 strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed at least 12 people, including an American citizen.

Saudi Arabia is providing air support for the internationally recognized Yemeni government’s counteroffensive against the Houthis, who seized swaths of the country’s Red Sea coast in September. In southwestern Yemen, the Houthis have encircled the city of Taiz, preventing United Nations aid workers from reaching some 800,000 people trapped in the besieged city. 

The US military is currently providing limited support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, including intelligence to support targeting and aerial refueling. 

The fighting comes as the Trump administration weighs resuming major combat operations against Iran following the US midterm elections on Nov. 3. 

“We may do another little Epic Fury,” US President Donald Trump said at a rally in Florida on Friday, using the code name for the military operation he ordered against Iran in late February.