U.S. Ordering Staff To Leave Saudi Arabia, WWE Crown Jewel Still Advertised for Riyadh

With WWE Crown Jewel still looming next month, there’s an update on the situation in Saudi Arabia. Reuters reports that the U.S. State Department has ordered diplomats and family members to evacuate from Saudi Arabia amid tensions and escalating violence in the region.

Additionally, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on his X account earlier today that the department ordered the departure of “non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only,” amid attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen on civilian targets in the country.

Also, the U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Saudi Arabia issued a new security alert today, warning U.S. citizens in the region of further attacks. The latest alert reads as follows:

“Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.

U.S. citizens are reminded to follow the guidance of national alerts released by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense via cellular broadcast.

U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization from Chief of Mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia following recent missile and UAV attacks on airports in the Kingdom.

Operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remain suspended. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are operational with some delays and cancellations.

U.S. citizens should be aware of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations, and travel disruptions. Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia. We recommend checking your flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport.”

You can view the State Department’s latest security alert and Pigott’s announcement below:

Saudi Arabia: Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. The hostilities have the potential to escalate… pic.twitter.com/bw03GXswIL

— TravelGov (@TravelGov) October 21, 2026

This is inaccurate. The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only.

Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on… https://t.co/yNrCwDcfIg

— Tommy Pigott (@statedeptspox) October 21, 2026

WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Still Slated for Riyadh Next Month

The Houthis have recently launched deadly attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which left 12 people dead and 300 injured earlier this month. A short time later, WWE Chief Creative Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque released a new event poster for Crown Jewel, which continued to advertise the event for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Last month, the U.S. State Department issued a level three travel advisory for Saudi Arabia, advising citizens to reconsider traveling to the country. Some areas of Saudi Arabia are under a level four advisory, which means that U.S. citizens are advised to leave the country.

WWE is still scheduled to travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel 2026 next month. The event is scheduled for November 7 at the Riyadh Season Stadium at King Abdullah Financial District.

While there have been rumors of WWE having contingency plans if the promotion is forced to move the event out of Saudi Arabia, the company is maintaining the stance that the show will move forward as scheduled on Nov. 7 in Riyadh.