US Reopens Embassy in Yemen

A general view of the U.S. embassy compound in Sanaa, Yemen, Aug. 7, 2013.

The United States has reopened its embassy in Yemen, two weeks after it was closed due to a security threat.

The U.S. mission in Sana'a was among 19 embassies and consulates closed, following a worldwide alert that said al-Qaida could be planning attacks.

That alert was issued after U.S. intelligence intercepted electronic conversations in which the al-Qaida chief in Pakistan, Ayman al-Zawahri, ordered the head of its branch in Yemen to carry out an attack. It was not made clear where and when the attacks would take place.

The other missions were reopened on August 11. But Yemen -- the home base of the militant faction Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula -- was seen as the epicenter of the threat.

In Sana'a, the U.S. mission was reopened Sunday, the same day Britain and Germany reopened their embassies in the Yemeni capital.

The U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, remains closed due to a separate threat.