LONDON (AP) -- Foreign Secretary William Hague says the U.K. has recalled its ambassador from Syria for consultations on the escalating violence in the country.
Hague told lawmakers Monday that Britain is using multiple channels to express its "abhorrence" at the violent crackdown on dissent by President Bashar Assad's regime, and has summoned Syria's ambassador to the Foreign Office to convey that message.
His remarks came after the U.S. said it has closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled all American diplomats out of Syria.
The Assad regime's crackdown on anti-government protesters has left thousands dead over the past year.