2 Blasts Hot Yemen's capital,2 wounded

Two blasts hit the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Sunday night, wounding at least two people, police sources told Xinhua. The sources said the first blast was heard near the headquarters of the defense ministry in downtown Sanaa, while the other was seen near the house of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Haada street in southern Sanaa. The first blast took place in a residential area near the eastern gate of the defense ministry in Bab al-Yemen quarter, one of the police officers told Xinhua. A security official told Xinhua that the second explosion occurred near Saleh's house and wounded at least two people. Local residents said they saw ambulances running to different places and heard gunfire following the explosion. They said the second explosion was also close to the French embassy in Sanaa. The Yemeni authorities have enhanced security in the capital and deployed more soldiers to block access to the blast sites. Initial investigation showed that the two blasts were possibly caused by improvised explosive devices, not by car bombs, a police officer said. Since the blasts occurred at mid-night, the number of victims would not be high, he added. In December 2013, al-Qaida militants used suicide car bombs to attack the Yemeni defense ministry, which left 56 people killed, including several medical staff, and more than 200 others wounded. The Arab country where political upheaval in 2011 severely weakened the security has seen repeated attacks against government institutions. A national reconciliation dialogue aimed to unify political factions and improve the security ended last month after a 10-month debate.