“The Yemeni air force accidentally shelled a mosque in Jaar, killing seven people and wounding five others,” the official said, on condition of anonymity. A medical official in Al-Razi hospital in Jaar confirmed the toll and witnesses said that another raid targeted the hospital, wounding two more people.

At least 24 people — civilians and militants — were killed in the raids on various sites in the province of Abyan, where the army is waging an offensive against militants emboldened by months of upheaval in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.

Warplanes also bombed Jaar hospital which militants had occupied to treat their wounded comrades, a local official said. A witness said he saw the bodies of seven militants being carried out of the building for burial. Militants have seized several towns in Abyan, situated just east of a strategic shipping strait where some 3 million barrels of oil pass through daily.

A security official said at least 10 people believed to belong to Al-Qaeda were killed in an overnight air raid on a suburb of Abyan’s capital Zinjibar, which was seized by militants in May.

Further south, two more militants were killed in airstrikes on the coastal town of Shaqra, which was taken over in recent weeks despite reports from the army that it was making gains against the militants.

In Lawdar, another city in Abyan, tribesmen detained a suicide bomber who they said was wandering around a market apparently looking for a target.

A local official said a stall owner at the market grew suspicious of the man and alerted armed tribesmen guarding the area. The men found an explosives belt strapped around the suspect’s waist when they captured and searched him.

The Defense Ministry confirmed a 19-year-old aspiring suicide bomber planned to attack the army.