An al Qaeda splinter group claimed to have fired a rocket that intended to hit the U.S. Embassy in Yemen on Saturday, wounding several guards in an attempt to retaliate against an air drone strike carried out by the United States in Yemen a day before.

No U.S. buildings were hit and no U.S. personnel were injured, the U.S. state department said. There were also no indications that the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was the target.

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The rocket landed about 200 miles from the embassy's heavily fortified premises, although it hit a nearby Yemeni special security unit. At least two were reportedly injured, according to local police.

A police source told Reuters that the rocket was launched from a car equipped with M27 light anti-tank weapon before the car sped away.

Some hours after the attack, Ansar al-Sharia, an affiliate of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took to Twitter to claim that the group has fired a rocket at the American embassy, injuring several guards and hitting an armed vehicle.

Al-Sharia claimed that the attack was made in retaliation to the Friday drone strike that left a number of children seriously wounded in Jawf, a northern province in Yemen.

Reuters reported that the drone strike killed two al Qaeda fighters and wounded two more. It also confirmed that some children were hurt in the attack.

As part of an on-going campaign against the al Qaeda network in Yemen, the United States has routinely carried our drone airstrikes against terror targets.

The White House has reportedly acknowledged mounting airstrikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen with drones. It does not, however, give public statements on the matter.

The Yemen splinter group of the al Qaeda network remain to be the most active of the wings established by Osama bin Laden, Reuters reported. 

TagsAl-qaeda, al Qaeda in Yemen, U.S. embassy, U.S. embassy attack, Ansar al-Sharia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)