The US says 18 of the 19 diplomatic missions recently closed due to security threats will reopen on Sunday. The state department says its embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa will stay closed “because of ongoing concerns”. The US closed 19 diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa last Sunday in response to what it said was a threat of a terrorist attack. The consulate in the Pakistani city of Lahore, which closed after a separate threat, will also not reopen yet. “We will also continue to evaluate information about these and all of our posts and to take appropriate steps to best protect the safety of our personnel, American citizens travelling overseas, and visitors to our facilities.” On Thursday, at least 14 suspected al-Qaeda militants – reportedly including seven from Saudi Arabia – were killed in Yemen in three drone strikes, Yemeni officials said. The number of US strikes in Yemen has been stepped up over the past month. Yemen is a stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – an al-Qaeda offshoot considered by Washington to be the most dangerous to the West. Source BBC.