The United States will close a number of embassies and consulates, mostly in the Middle East, on Sunday in response to an unspecified threat, according to officials.
A state department spokesperson said the order applied to any embassy or consulate normally open on Sunday.
In the Muslim world, Sunday is a work day. In other parts of the world US diplomatic offices are closed, the BBC reports.
Last year on 11 September, the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, leaving four Americans dead including ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Other embassies are routinely targets of protesters.
Among those affected by closure would be the embassies or consulates in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
