SANAA - At least one rebel was killed and 10 others, including five civilians, were wounded when severe clashes between troops loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and rival tribesmen flared up in the capital on Thursday, a security official said.

"One rebel of powerful tribal leader Sadiq al-Ahmar was killed, another five rebels were wounded in the heavy clashes and shelling that rocked the northern neighborhood of Hassaba district in downtown Sanaa on Thursday morning," a security official at the scene told Xinhua.

"Also, five civilians were injured after their houses nearby the stronghold of al-Ahmar's residential compound were shelled by random mortars," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that more than 13 houses were hit by mortar shells.