The U.S. said that it will reopen 18 of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa on Sunday, August 11, that were closed last week because of terrorist threats.
The State Department on Friday said its embassy in Sanaa, Yemen will remain closed "because of ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula." It was on last Sunday that the US closed its 19 diplomatic missions in response to a threat of a terrorist attack.
The U.S. consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, which was closed Thursday after a separate credible threat, will also remain closed.
US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the U.S. will continue to evaluate the threats to Sanaa and Lahore and make subsequent decisions about the reopening of those facilities based on that information.
Psaki added, "We will also continue to evaluate information about these and all of our posts and to take appropriate steps to best protect the safety of our personnel, American citizens traveling overseas, and visitors to our facilities."
U.S. has issued, with effect from August 2, a worldwide travel alert warning its citizens of potential terrorist attacks. This warnings remains in effect until at least the end of this month.
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