Washington orders non-emergency diplomatic staff to depart the kingdom as air defences intercept attacks in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter
RIYADH, Oct. 22, 2026 : Drone strikes targeting key infrastructure in Saudi Arabia have killed three foreign nationals and wounded ten others across two separate incidents, prompting the United States to order non-emergency diplomatic personnel and their families to leave the country.
The casualties occurred in strikes on Saudi Aramco’s remote Shaybah oil processing plant and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, marking an escalation in cross-border aerial assaults on the kingdom’s energy networks and transit hubs.
Saudi air defence units intercepted an armed drone headed toward processing units at the Shaybah oilfield in the Rub’ al Khali desert on Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed. Falling fragments struck an external contractor vehicle outside the perimeter fence, killing a Filipino national and a Nepali worker. Two other contractors—one Indian and one Pakistani—sustained injuries and were taken to a regional medical facility. Aramco’s extraction and refining operations at Shaybah remained unaffected.
Hours later, an aerial strike hit King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on the Gulf coast. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported that one resident died and eight others sustained injuries when shrapnel ripped through airport grounds. The Philippines Department of Migrant Workers stated that none of its citizens were hurt in the Dammam airport blast.
The direct hits on commercial and logistical infrastructure led the US State Department to issue a departure directive. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that Washington instructed non-essential embassy and consulate employees alongside their dependents to leave Saudi Arabia, citing persistent threats from Yemen-based Houthi forces.
The security alert follows earlier incidents in central Saudi Arabia, including drone and missile incursions toward King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. While Yemeni Houthi forces have frequently targeted Saudi installations during the wider regional conflict, no official claim of responsibility was formally posted for Wednesday evening’s Dammam strike.
Diplomatic efforts intensified in Riyadh as regional foreign ministers convened to address the risks to international shipping and oil supplies. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the Saudi capital on an unscheduled working visit to confer with Gulf leadership on maritime security and civilian protection frameworks.
