Washington has ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Wednesday, as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

It came after a diplomatic source told AFP that "all American staff and their families have been ordered to depart from the US embassy" in the Gulf kingdom.

The source added that families of embassy staff had also been ordered to leave the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, all of which have been targeted by Iran during the Middle East war.

US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott subsequently confirmed the order in a post on X, but said it applied to "non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only".

He linked the move to Houthi attacks on the country, including airports, saying "the safety and security of Department personnel and their families ...