// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
US orders some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis also attacked the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh earlier this month
The US State Department has ordered some diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as attacks escalate, with three people killed in strikes across the country.
Saudi authorities said debris from a drone intercepted during an attempted attack on an oil field killed two people, while one person died after a strike at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
Conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has been rising in the past month.
The Houthis have responded to Saudi strikes by launching missiles and drones at airports, energy facilities and military bases in Saudi Arabia. A recent strike on Riyadh's international airport was the deadliest in the kingdom in years.
Watch: Who are the Houthis, and why are they so hard to fight?
"The US Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia," a state department spokesperson said in a statement.
"Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions," it added.
The spokesperson also warned "the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly".
In the latest attack on the King Fahd International Airport eight people sustained injuries that ranged from "minor to serious", officials said.