A drone strike killed six Al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen’s east Monday, the first such raid since government troops launched their biggest offensive on the extremists in two years, tribesmen said.

A drone strike killed six Al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen's east Monday, the first such raid since government troops launched their biggest offensive on the extremists in two years, tribesmen said.

The pilotless aircraft deployed over eastern Yemen on Monday targeted a vehicle near Al-Husun, a village in Marib province, killing at least six "Al-Qaeda members" next to it, tribal sources told AFP.

In the capital Sanaa, the US embassy announced the mission "will remain closed for consular services through May 15," adding that it could remain shut for even longer depending on the situation.

The United States is the only country operating drones over Yemen, but US officials rarely acknowledge the covert program.

Yemen's army says it has inflicted heavy losses on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula since it launched a major offensive against its strongholds in the south and east on April 29.

But suspected AQAP militants have carried out attacks that appear to have been carried out in revenge for the offensive.

On Monday, militants opened fire on an army convoy heading from Azzan to Huta, in the southern province of Shabwa, a military official said.
The attack prompted an exchange of fire between both sides, the source added, without being able to immediately give any information on casualties.