U.S. to close embassies in Mideast for security reasons Aug 4

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. will close a number of embassies and consulates, mostly in the Middle East, on Sunday, Aug 4, in response to an unspecified threat, officials say, according to BBC News.

A state department spokeswoman said the order applied to any embassy or consulate normally open on Sunday.

In the Muslim world, Sunday is a work day. In other parts of the world U.S. diplomatic offices are shut on Sunday.

Last year on September 11, the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, leaving four Americans dead. Other embassies are routinely targets of protesters.

"We have instructed all U.S. embassies and consulates that would have normally been open on Sunday to suspend operations, specifically on August 4th," a senior state department official told the BBC. "It is possible we may have additional days of closing as well."

The official said the state department had "been apprised of information" leading it to these "precautionary steps... out of an abundance of caution".

CBS News reported that among those affected by closure would be the embassies or consulates in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.