US warns citizens of Houthi attack risk in Saudi Arabia
The advisory cites possible strikes on airports and airspace closures as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia escalates.
US citizens in Saudi Arabia were warned on Monday of possible Houthi attacks and travel disruption, the US Mission in Saudi Arabia said in an advisory.
The mission said Iranian-backed Houthis had carried out hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and other key infrastructure that caused civilian casualties and severe travel problems.
The mission cautioned that the situation could quickly widen beyond its current area, posing security risks and disrupting commercial air travel.
Americans were told to expect possible attacks on airports, airspace closures and cancelled flights, and the mission urged them to "take extreme caution" if they used Saudi airports, it said.
The advisory came as fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government, has intensified.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015, after the group seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other parts of the country in 2014.
The Houthis are a Zaidi Shia movement based in northern Yemen, and their rule over Sanaa has turned the country's conflict into a wider rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Airports and airspace in Saudi Arabia serve large numbers of pilgrims, business travellers and foreign workers, so any disruption there affects many people beyond the country's own citizens.
