An air strike in the Yemeni capital that killed at least 14 civilians, including eight members of one family, was due to a technical mistake, according to the Saudi-led coalition battling rebels.

Tribesmen shot down a Yemeni government warplane which was bombing their positions north of the capital Sanaa today, military officials said.

Yemen’s embattled president vowed he would not step down or allow his impoverished nation to become a “failed state” even as urban combat between government troops and armed tribesmen engulfed parts of the capital.

The US embassy in Yemen has reopened after a two-day closure prompted by a terrorist threat, officials said today.

Two suspected al-Qaida terrorists were killed in clashes outside the Yemeni capital San’a today as the US and British embassies remained closed for a second day by terror threats.