US closes Yemen embassy, recalls envoy


The United States has ordered the closure of its embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and said its ambassador will leave the country by Wednesday.
US officials said on Tuesday they were suspending operations at the embassy, citing security concerns.
“The ambassador and the rest of the staff will leave by Wednesday evening,” an employee, who asked not to be named, told Reuters news agency.
According to Reuters, the US will ask either Turkey or Algeria to look after its interests in Yemen while the embassy is closed.
Yemen has been plagued by crisis since Houthi fighters forcefully took power on Friday, in a move denounced by the international community.
The Houthis dissolved parliament and installed Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a cousin of Abdel-Malik al-Houthi as the new president, in place of the ousted Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The group, who are accused of being backed by Iran, have defended their takeover, calling it a “glorious revolution” that has “broken the shackles of injustice and corruption”.
The Houthis belong to the country’s Zaidi Shia community who make up a fifth of Yemen’s 25 million population.

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