At least two senior members of al-Qaeda were killed in an airstrike by the Yemeni Air Force in a remote village in the south of the Arab country late Sunday, the Defence Ministry said.
The air raid targeted a gathering of al-Qaeda members in the Moudiya district of Abyan province, according to a statement from the ministry, dpa reported.
It said the two men "were planning terrorist attacks against vital state installations," but did not provide further details. The authorities initially said that 30 al-Qaeda members were killed in the airstrike.
Witnesses told the German Press Agency dpa that seven people were wounded after a fighter jet bombed a house in the Jeezat Al Qenan village of Moudiya.
The government has apologized to the families of the civilian victims and promised to pay compensation.
Witnesses said security forces cordoned off the site after the attack to prevent suspected al-Qaeda members, who survived or were injured in the strike, from fleeing the area.
This was the second air raid in recent months on suspected al- Qaeda members in Abyan province. On December 17, Yemeni fighter jets struck a suspected al-Qaeda location in al-Maajala village, killing 42 civilians.