SANAA, Yemen: Yemeni officials say Shiite rebels have captured a key military base south of the capital where U.S. advisers had previously trained counter-terrorism forces.

They say the Republican Guard camp captured Thursday was used by American experts until 2012 to train local forces battling al-Qaida's powerful Yemeni affiliate. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.

The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, have seized a number of key military facilities in recent days, including the headquarters of the paramilitary special forces. They captured the capital in September.

The camp captured Thursday was manned by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is suspected of quietly backing the rebels. The seizure of the camp could drive a wedge between the two.


7 Houthis killed in Al Qaida attack

In Aden, at least seven Shia Houthi fighters were killed and five others injured in a suspected Al Qaeda attack in Yemen Wednesday, an official told Xinhua.

"Unknown gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda operatives attacked the house of a tribal leader allied to the Shia Houthi group in Radda town of al-Bayda province, killing at least seven people inside," the official said on the condition of anonymity.

"The victims were meeting the tribal leader inside the house when the armed attack occurred," the official said, adding that the two sides exchanged fire for about half an hour.

The impoverished Arab country has seen persistent unrest since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took over power in 2012, but submitted his resignation to the parliament last week amid a standoff with the Houthi rebels.

Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his cabinet submitted their resignations to the president the same day.

The crisis, which has been tearing Yemen apart since September, worsened two weeks ago when the rebels took control of the presidential headquarters in the capital Sana'a.

The rebels moved close to the Yemeni parliament Friday after President Hadi's resignation.

However, Hadi decided to withdraw his resignation, following international efforts led by UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar, as well as representatives of Yemeni political parties, an official said Sunday.

Yemen has been facing the Al Qaeda in the south and armed groups, including the powerful Houthis, in the north.