WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government will continue to watch carefully the situation in Egypt, where thousands of protesters angered by a decision by the country's leader to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia, are calling for the government to fall, the White House said on Friday.

The comment by a White House spokesman at a regular news briefing followed the protests against the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton)