The Yemeni Interior Ministry said Friday that it has tightened security around the French embassy in the capital of Sanaa, after a French-backed ground offensive against Islamist militants in the African country of Mali.

"The security reinforcement does not mean that the French embassy is at risk, but it is a precautionary measure that we must be prepared to face every eventuality," the ministry said in a brief statement obtained by Xinhua.

The move came in anticipation of possible protests against the French week-long military operations on the Islamist rebels in the desert of Mali.

In September 2012, four Yemenis were killed when dozens of angry demonstrators stormed the US embassy in Sanaa to protest a film produced in the United States denigrating Prophet Mohammad.