WASHINGTON (AP) — The specter of Benghazi is affecting U.S. policy in coup-wracked Egypt.

The deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Libya was cited as a reason for closing some 20 American embassies and consulates this month in the face of an al-Qaida threat. And Benghazi is now playing heavily into the Obama administration’s deliberations on how to respond to the growing unrest in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, according to officials.