SANAA: Yemeni officials and local tribesmen say an airstrike has targeted al Qaeda militants in a house in northern Yemen, killing three people, two of them said to be Saudis.    

It was the first reported airstrike in Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia. The officials and tribesmen said the Sunday airstrike was carried out by a US drone.

The US considers al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(AQAP) , based in Yemen, to be the world's most active and has often used drones to target its members. Saudis are leading al Qaeda members.

The officials said those killed were in the courtyard of a house owned by a wanted al Qaeda militant from another Yemeni province. The governor of Saada, Fares Manaa, told a Defense Ministry website that two of the dead are believed to be Saudis.