US embassy in Yemen closes consular services

The United States said on Monday that it has closed its embassy in Yemen to the public until further notice, due to security vacuum after the Yemeni president and prime minister resigned amid ongoing political crisis.

"Due to the recent resignation of the Yemeni president, prime minister and cabinet, and the ongoing security concerns, the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa is unable to provide routine consular services and will have very limited ability to assist with emergency cases involving U.S. citizens," the embassy said in a statement posted on its website.

"The U.S. embassy will be closed to the public until further notice," it added, urging its citizens to make plans to depart immediately from Yemen.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi submitted his resignation to the parliament on Thursday following a standoff with Shiite Houthi group who overran Sanaa last September.

Prime Minister Khaled Bahah also resigned on the same day after the rebels seized the presidential palace and surrounded Hadi's residence.

Following their resignation, the impoverished Arab country went into complete security vacuum that may benefits terrorist groups in expanding their activities.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Sunday that Washington had not suspended its counter-terrorism operations against the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen following the control of the Shiite Houthi group over the country's capital Sanaa.

AQAP, known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009. It is considered one of the greatest threats to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

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