The United States has closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out all of its employees out of Syria. Britain also called its envoy amid international outrage at Russia and China over their Veto at the Security Council against Sy

The United States has closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out all of its employees out of Syria. Britain also called its envoy amid international outrage at Russia and China over their Veto at the Security Council against Syria action.

"The United States has suspended operations of our embassy in Damascus as of February 6. Ambassador (Robert) Ford and all American personnel have now departed the country," a State Department statement said.

"The recent surge in violence, including bombings in Damascus on December 23 and January 6, has raised serious concerns that our embassy is not sufficiently protected from armed attack," it said.

"We, along with several other diplomatic missions, conveyed our security concerns to the Syrian government but the regime failed to respond adequately."

"This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told lawmakers as he recalled his country's ambassador from Syria for consultations on the escalating violence in the country.