(VOVworld) - The United States evacuated its embassy in Libya on Saturday, driving diplomats across the border into Tunisia under heavy military escort after escalating clashes broke out between rival militias in Tripoli. US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement that the evacuation order was made because the location of the US embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting and ongoing violence between armed Libyan factions. She added that these diplomats will only return to their office in Libya once security conditions are ensured.

The entrance of the compounds of the U.S. embassy is pictured in Tripoli July 26, 2014. Photo: internet