France to prolong embassy closure in Yemen on persistent security fears

France said it would extend the closure of its embassy in Yemen to Wednesday on increasing terror attacks, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. In a previous statement, the Quai d'Orsay decided to shut down its diplomatic mission in Sanaa on Sunday and Monday following "very serious threat." Several countries including Britain and Germany have also taken the same move after the U.S. decided to close its embassies temporarily in the Middle East and Africa and issued a global travel alert. France has been the target of attacks following its military commitment mainly in Afghanistan and in Mali. A total of six French nationals are now in hands of al-Qaida-linked groups in the Sahel region. In April, the French embassy in Tripoli was hit by a car bomb, injuring two French guards and causing heavy damage to the building. Three months later, French honorary consul Jean Dufriche survived a gun attack in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.