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Americans on Alert as Syria Threatens to Close US Embassy

by Christina 123 | October 29, 2008 at 10:28 am

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IN a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon released on Tuesday, Syria warned it could take action against those involved in the killing of eight civilians. One of those the US intelligence claim were allegedly killed was Abu Ghadiya, a key al-Quaeda figure.

Syria have threatened to close the US embassy in Damascus and an alert has been issued to Americans living in the region.

The U.S. embassy in Syria's capital has issued a warning to Americans in the country to be alert following a raid on eastern Syria that Damascus blames on U.S. forces.

The embassy says "unforeseen events" could prompt officials to close the embassy to the public indefinitely.

Syrians carry coffins of their realtives who were killed yesterday in a US military raid on the village of Sukkiraya, on the Syria-Iraq border, 27 Oct 2008Syria has protested to the United Nations about Sunday's deadly helicopter raid.

In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released Tuesday, Syria urged U.N. member states to prevent a repeat of the attack, calling it a serious violation of Syria's sovereignty.

Syria's letter also says the U.N. Security Council should take action against those responsible for the raid, saying it killed eight Syrian civilians, including children. The identity of the casualties has not been independently verified.

Syria's government ordered the closure of an American school and a U.S. cultural center in Damascus on Tuesday in apparent retaliation for the helicopter assault.

The Bush administration has refused to confirm or deny carrying out the attack.