The governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, and Italy said they had closed their embassies and withdrawn diplomatic personnel from the country. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain announced the decision on 14 March. The Bahraini foreign ministry said decreased security in the country had forced the decision, and called for all Bahraini citizens within the country to leave immediately.
