US Embassies Will Stay Closed All Week

Today's closure of US embassies and consulates has been extended through Saturday for diplomatic posts in 19 cities, the State Department has announced. But, it says in a statement, the extension is not due to a new threat, but "merely an indication of our commitment to exercise caution," in light of the previously reported al-Qaeda threat, reports the AP. The posts that will stay closed are those in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, amongst others. Other posts, including those in Kabul and Baghdad, will reopen on Monday as planned. Earlier today, politicians from across the political spectrum told Sunday talk shows that today's closure was entirely necessary, due to the serious and very specific nature of the threat. (More US Embassy stories.)