The authorities have been placed on high alert after reports there are more than 40 Al-Qaeda militants trying to infiltrate into Yemen's port city of Aden to free fellows, the defense ministry reported on Saturday.
The militants, reported to have been travelling from Rada town in Baidha province through Dhale and Lahj to Abyan, are believed to continue to Aden to attack a prison and free imprisoned militants, the ministry said.
"They had planned to free the militant cell whose members were arrested days ago in Dhale province," a local official was quoted as saying.
The Yemeni army is continuing a widespread US-backed hunt for Al-Qaeda militants after the forces in association with tribal supporters drove them out of their strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa in the past few months.
More than a dozen militant cells have been recently arrested in some Yemeni cities including some responsible for deadly suicide bombings.
Also, hundreds of militants including senior leaders have been killed and arrested in the past few months. The victory has been hailed and restoring the hope of the public and the international community to have a terrorism-free Yemen.
Separately, gunmen attacked Saturday public offices and closed Sanaa-Aden road in Dhalem the ministry said, pointing out the forces are hunting the gunmen and standing for all those trying to inflame security disorders in the country.