Yemen's al-Qaeda air strikes were delayed by civil war

Airstrikes against alleged al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen were delayed because of the civil war in the country's north, the regional daily al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Monday, citing the country's foreign minister.

The two separate airstrikes, last Thursday and the previous week, killed a total of more than 60 suspected militants, DPA reported.

But the Yemeni government had feared the airstrikes would launch a second front whilst fighting continued with Houthi rebels in the north of the country, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi reportedly told Arab diplomats.

The news came amid heightened international attention to Yemen's campaign against al-Qaeda militants following reports the Nigerian man suspected of attempting to blow up a flight to Detroit on December 25 had received training in Yemen.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah claimed victory against the Houthi rebels in a statement carried by the Kuwaiti daily al- Siyasah, saying the rebels had been driven from Saudi territory.

On Sunday a website linked to Yemen's Ministry of Defence reported that rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi may have been among those killed.

The Yemeni government stepped up an offensive against the Houthis last August in the country's northern Saada province.

Fighting spilled across the Saudi border in early November, claiming the lives of 73 Saudis and an unknown number of rebels.