U.S. moves diplomats and families from the Middle East amid escalation fears, ordering non-emergency staff out of Saudi Arabia and reducing embassy staffing elsewhere

The United States is moving some diplomats and their families out of several Middle Eastern countries amid fears of regional escalation, CNN reported.

The State Department this week ordered non-emergency staff and all family members to leave Saudi Arabia following increased Houthi attacks on the kingdom. It is also quietly reducing staff at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, without public announcements.

Many of those leaving had only recently returned after being ordered out at the height of the Iran war. One diplomat said, “to say it has been chaotic is an understatement,” while a source in Amman described “a very Groundhog Day vibe.”