The United States government has warned its citizen not to travel to Saudi Arabia following persistent terrorist threats and a spillover of violence from Yemen across the border. The warning was contained in a statement released on Tuesday by the US State Department. It warned that rebel groups from Yemen were planning to launch ballistic missiles into the Kingdom.
The statement read in part;
"In the past year, rebels have fired several long-range missiles into Saudi Arabia capable of reaching the vicinities of Riyadh and Jeddah, and they have publicly stated their intent to continue doing so, It warned US employees and their families currently working in Saudi Arabia to refrain from travelling to any area within 50 miles of the Saudi-Yemeni border towns especially the towns of Jazan and Najran.
Yemeni forces also routinely fire artillery at Saudi border towns and launch cross-border attacks against Saudi military personnel. As a result, the US Mission's ability to provide consular assistance in this region is limited, and US citizens should not travel to this area."
Also, the statement restrained US nationals from going to several volatile areas, such as Qatif in the eastern province and the Al Ahsa region, where Saudi forces are in regular confrontation with the Shia minority residents there.
Saudi Arabia became a target of attack from rebels after it intervened to push back Houthi rebels and reinstated the government of President Abd-Rabbu Monsour Hadi in 2015.
On November 4, rebels fired a missile into Riyadh and caused debris to fall near the King Khalid International Airport.
