Saudi Arabia, Italy and Holland close embassies in Syria

Saudi Arabia, Italy and the Netherlands announced late Wednesday that they were shutting down their embassies in Syria.

“Due to developments in Syria, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has shut down its embassy in Damascus and withdrawn all its diplomats and staff there,” read a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

Saudi officials have consistently called for global action against the Assad regime, and the Kingdom was one of six Gulf monarchies to expel Syria’s ambassadors, according to Saudi-based Al Arabiya.

Italy’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that it, too, had closed its embassy in Syria, citing “unacceptable violence by the Syrian regime against its own citizens.”

The Netherlands was the third country Wednesday to pull its diplomats from Damascus, sending a clear political message to the Assad government. Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said in a statement, “The shutdown is an expression of the revulsion we feel at the appalling violence of the Syrian government.”

The latest embassy closures add to a growing list of nations, including the US, UK, Canada, France and Spain, that have broken diplomatic relations with Damascus as a result of a yearlong crackdown by the Syrian government that has left more than 7,500 people dead.