10 dead after explosions at U.S. Embassy in Yemen

A car bomb exploded at the front gate of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen on Wednesday, killing six Yemeni guards and four civilians, a security official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa was hit by two car bombs followed by 10 minutes of heavy gunfire.

U.S. embassy spokesman Ryan Gliha confirmed that a second explosion followed the first. He said it is not known what caused the second blast.

The explosions damaged several homes in the area, the security official said.

The Associated Press reported that police cordoned off the area and ambulances rushed to the scene.

Regional TV news networks Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya reported that one of the embassy's buildings was on fire. But Gliha denied that a fire broke out.

The U.S. Embassy has been the target of violence in the past.

In March, three mortar rounds aimed at the embassy hit a high school for girls next door. A Yemeni security guard was killed and more than 10 girls were injured.