Britain and France extended the closure of their embassies in Yemen on Monday after a US warning of a possible militant attack in the region, and the Arab state said it was stepping up security at ports and airports.

The US State Department said at the weekend that 19 US embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa would remain closed until Saturday ‘out of an abundance of caution’.

It said several would have been closed anyway for most of the week due to the Eid Muslim celebrations, reports The Straits Times.

It had initially closed 21 US diplomatic posts for the day on Sunday.