US Closes Embassy, Flees Syria

The US closed its embassy in Damascus today, pulling Ambassador Robert Ford and his 16 remaining staffers out of the country. Two of the staffers flew out last week, and the rest headed to Jordan today via convoy, CNN reports. Syria was notified of the move only after all the employees were out of the country. US officials today said that Bashar al-Assad's government was unable to protect the embassy.

"The government is getting stretched beyond its ability to control the various elements of violence in the country," one official said, noting Hillary Clinton had made the final decision based on recommendations from State Department staffers. "This is a decision we never take lightly." The US had warned last month that it would pull out if Assad didn't improve security, in the wake of a pair of car bombings in Damascus that the US suspects al-Qaeda had a hand in. (More Syria stories.)