The United States and Britain abruptly closed their embassies in Yemen on Wednesday amid deteriorating security conditions after the takeover of the country by Iranian-linked rebels.
Jen Psaki, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State in Washington, said late Tuesday: “The Department of State has decided to suspend our embassy operations and our embassy staff have been temporarily relocated out of Sana’a.”
The British Embassy in Yemen’s capital closed and evacuated its staff early Wednesday.
In a statement, U.K. Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood also urged British citizens still in Yemen to “leave immediately.”
“The security situation in Yemen has continued to deteriorate over recent days,” Ellwood said. “Regrettably we now judge that our embassy staff and premises are at increased risk.”
The Houthis, who are traditionally based in northern Yemen bordering Saudi Arabia, swept into Sanaa in September and have seized other territory since.
During the past week many officials of the Iranian regime have taken credit for training and arming the Houthis in Yemen.
Yemeni rebels are ‘similar to the Lebanese Hezbollah’ and ‘will come into action against the enemies of Islam’, Ali Shirazi, a representative of the regime’s terrorist Qods Force declared.
He told the Defa Press news agency on Sunday: “The Houthi group is similar to Hezbollah, and this group will come into action against the enemies of Islam.
“The Islamic republic directly supports the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the popular forces in Syria and Iraq.
“Hezbollah was formed in Lebanon as a popular force like Basij. Similarly popular forces were also formed in Syria and Iraq, and today we are watching the formation of Ansar Allah in Yemen,” he added.