U.S. Embassy in Syria closes
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Damascus closed for security reasons on Thursday, the 25th anniversary of the start of the hostage siege in Iran.

An embassy spokesman, Brian O'Rourke, said he could not say whether there was a specific threat but noted such measures are taken from time to time.

The embassy was closed to the public "to enable it to reassess its security posture," he told The Associated Press.

A statement posted on the embassy's Web site asked visitors "to refrain from coming to the embassy on Nov. 4."

"We will announce in a future message the reopening of the embassy," the statement added.

On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seizing dozens of American hostages. The siege ended 444 days later with the release of the hostages.