The United States Department of State has ordered that certain United States embassies and consulates should close on August 4th, 2013 as a cautionary measure. Though the State Department is not revealing information regarding specific threats to U.S. embassies, those that will be temporarily closed include: United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bangladesh, U.S. Kuwait, Israel, Mauritania, Sudan, Djibouti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, and Libya. In addition, some U.S. Consulates will also remain closed on August 4th. This list includes: Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Erbil, Iraq; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Those embassies that are closing have stated that they will contact those persons who had scheduled appointments for August 4th, in order to reschedule. However, the State Department has not yet announced whether all closed embassies and consulates will resume normal business hours on Monday, August 5th.
In addition, the State Department warns that U.S. citizens travelling abroad should avoid areas where large gatherings occur, or where demonstrations are scheduled, stating that “even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational.”