WASHINGTON — October 24, 2026. The United States is reducing staffing at its embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon, the State Department confirmed on Saturday, as American intelligence warned that Iranian plots to target US diplomats abroad had reached “advanced stages.”
According to a CNN report citing multiple sources, the staffing changes come amid growing fears of a wider regional escalation, driven by intensified Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and warnings from Washington that Iran could strike American targets. A State Department official confirmed that the four missions would move to restricted operations, with temporary staffing changes but no formal evacuation order.
The move follows an earlier decision this week to order the departure of non-emergency personnel and all family members from Saudi Arabia, after Houthi missiles and drones repeatedly targeted the kingdom’s cities and oil infrastructure.
Restricted operations, not evacuations
Officials stressed that the embassies in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Amman and Beirut will remain open. The changes do not amount to an ordered departure, unlike the Saudi directive, but they do shrink the American footprint at a moment of acute tension. The department said there were no staffing changes in Kuwait or Bahrain.
The quiet drawdown has frustrated some diplomats and their families, many of whom had only recently returned to their posts after leaving during the height of the Iran war earlier this year, CNN reported. Relocation costs and disrupted school terms have added to the strain.
Memo warned of widening Houthi threat
The staffing decision followed a one-page intelligence memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 23, first reported by Axios, which said Iran had “substantially increased” efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond. The memo warned that the alleged assassination plots were reaching advanced stages and that Houthi rebels could widen their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region.
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton also warned Rubio that intelligence about the alleged plots must reach more US personnel than are currently authorised to receive it, according to the report. The memo did not name specific targets or countries outside the Middle East, but officials said the warnings had already been shared with senior State Department staff.
President Donald Trump has meanwhile warned of fresh strikes against Iran if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington, saying the US could carry out “another little Epic Fury” after the midterm elections.
Flights and markets feel the strain
The security jitters are already rippling through travel and markets. Etihad Airways has cancelled Abu Dhabi flights to Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh through November 5, while flydubai has suspended services to Riyadh, Dammam and Abha until October 29, and Emirates has listed cancellations on several Saudi routes.
On Friday, Dubai’s main stock index fell 1.4 percent to a more than four-month low and Abu Dhabi’s benchmark slipped 1.2 percent, as Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia heightened fears of a wider regional conflict. Brent crude drifted higher, closing around $114.61 a barrel.
With American missions now thinning out across four more capitals, diplomats say the region is bracing for a dangerous few weeks — and watching whether the warnings turn into action.
