Al-BAIDA, March 4- Saturday morning's blast in Al-Baida, which targeted a Republican Guard military base, caused great material damage, eyewitnesses told the Yemen Times.

According to local sources, a four-story-building was damaged and a number of nearby houses were destroyed. Aref Al-Umari, a local journalist who rushed to the site of the explosion, said that he came across the remains of a tank.

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the blast.

Al-Umari said Republican Guard commanders in the city haven't provided details about the incident, and that there are conflicting reports on the number of people who were injured.

“Some sources say that only four Republican Guard soldiers were wounded, but that the explosion took place in an area of around 1,000 square meters, indicating a huge blast,” said Al-Umari.

On Sunday morning, General Peoples Congress Rada’a branch head Abdullah Ali Idris survived an assassination attempt after an explosive device blew up in his vehicle. He was  later admitted to a hospital in the capital, Sana’a.