"The U.S. Embassy will be closed to the public until further notice out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting the Embassy. We are continuously analyzing the security conditions and will resume consular operations as soon as our analysis indicates we are able to do so safely," the statement said.
On January 22, Yemeni President Hadi submitted a resignation letter to the parliament, saying that “things have reached a dead end.”
Tensions broke in Yemen on January 17 after the rebels kidnapped Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi’s chief of staff and two of his guards. According to media reports, Hadi resigned Thursday amid the ongoing clashes with Shiite militia across the Yemeni capital.
On January 20, Pentagon announced that two US Navy ships moved into the Red Sea to help with any potential evacuation of US Embassy officials, if the Department of State decides that the security situation in Sana’a is dangerous for the personnel.
The State Department announced ordered departure of US non-emergency government officials from Yemen in August 2013, because of a persistent threat of terrorist attacks. Prior to that, in March 2012, the Embassy of the United States in Sana’a issued a warning to American citizens of the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest.
