ISRAEL: TEL AVIV: US EMBASSY CLOSED DOWN

(31 Dec 1998) English/Nat The U-S Embassy in Tel Aviv has been closed down after staff received security threats. Embassy officials have not given details about the threats but Israeli radio stations say they were directed at specific embassy officials. There has been growing resentment in the Middle East against the U-S following the attacks on Sudan and Afghanistan and the U-S bombing of Iraq earlier this month. U-S Ambassador Ned Walker ordered the U-S embassy to close down after it received security threats on Wednesday evening. Staff were ordered not to report to work on Thursday. Embassy officials would not elaborate, but an Israeli security source speaking on condition of anonymity, said the threats were aimed at the U-S Ambassador and other embassy workers. Authorities say the embassy was not searched, apparently ruling out a possible bomb threat. But soldiers were patrolling the building and its grounds on Thursday. U-S diplomatic missions have been on heightened security alert since the twin bombings of the U-S embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam on August 7. The attacks killed 224 people. In retaliation, the United States bombed targets in Sudan and Afghanistan that had links to Osama Bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire and the alleged mastermind of the embassy bombings. It is not yet clear whether the embassy will remain closed after the New Year holiday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...