US orders citizens to leave Yemen

The US State Department has ordered citizens and non-emergency government staff to leave Yemen "immediately" due to security threats.

It comes after the sudden closure of 20 US embassies and consulates on Sunday.

This was prompted by intercepted conversations between two senior al-Qaeda figures, including top leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, US media said.

The US earlier said the closures in North Africa and the Middle East were "out of an abundance of caution".

A number of US diplomatic posts in the region - including in the Yemeni capital Sanaa - will remain closed until Saturday.

A state department global travel alert, issued last week, is also in force until the end of August.