U.S. hits Yemen with drone strike, closes embassy to public amid upheaval

Barbara Starr and Josh Levs, CNN

27 January 2015

(CNN)The United States has launched a fresh drone strike on Yemen and closed its embassy to the public, days after the U.S.-backed government crumbled under an uprising from Shiite Houthi rebels.
The drone strike — the latest in a long string of them by the Obama administration — is the first since last week’s dramatic events in the capital, Sanaa.

Three U.S. officials tell CNN the CIA conducted a drone strike in Marib, which is east of Sanaa. It is not thought that any major leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were targeted in the latest U.S. strike.

The CIA itself did not comment.

The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, announced what was happening with the embassy.
“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 department said in a statement Monday.

“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.”

Featured Image: A boy was among those killed in the latest drone strike in central Yemen. Copyright: APF

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