Al Qaeda targeted a U.S.-Yemeni air base with rockets early Thursday, the Associated Press reports.
The attack was "in retaliation for a U.S. raid on the group’s hideout to free an American hostage."
Witnesses say a powerful explosion rocked the Al-Annad base early Thursday in the southern province of Lahj.
Ambulance rushed to the site and witnesses say they saw bodies taken to nearby hospital.
The al-Qaida affiliate claimed on its official Twitter account that its militants fired six grad missiles at the base. In a brief statement, the group says it hit the "American section" of the base.
It was not immediately clear whether any American facility inside the base was hit and no official confirmation was available.