Yemen hit by deadly car bomb, air strikes as talks fail

A car bomb near a mosque in Sanaa kills two people, as Saudi-led warplanes bombarded second city Aden, after peace talks end without agreement The explosion in Sanaa, controlled by Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, went off outside the Kobbat al-Mehdi mosque as Shiite Muslims emerged from midday prayers, witnesses and security sources said.

As well as the two dead, another 16  people were wounded, medical officials said.

The blast, which comes as Muslims observe the fasting month of Ramadan, damaged the entrance of the mosque and shattered the windows of a nearby house, an AFP photographer reported.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack, SITE Intelligence Group reported, the latest in a series that has targeted Sanaa, which the Houthi rebels seized in September.

Since then they have expanded their control to other parts of Sunni-majority Yemen, including Aden in the south, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and his government to flee to Saudi Arabia.

On June 17, at least 31 people were killed and dozens wounded in five simultaneous bombings, also claimed by the radical Sunni Muslim jihadist group at Shiite mosques and offices in Sanaa.

The new car attack came hours after Saudi-led warplanes launched 15 strikes against Houthi targets in the port city of Aden.

A pro-government military source said the dawn strikes pounded the northern, eastern and western approaches to Aden, to isolate the Huthis and support forces loyal to Hadi.

"The objective is to close the noose around the Huthi rebels in Aden and assist the Popular Resistance Committees," said the source.

Anti-rebel forces comprising pro-government fighters, Sunni...