SANAA: A suicide attacker drove a car laden with explosives at the Iranian ambassador’s residence in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, security officials said, killing as many as three people.

The attack, the second such bombing in the city in as many months, punched a large hole in the building and sent rubble flying across the street of the well-guarded diplomatic quarter of the city, a Reuters witness said.

A paramedic said three dead bodies and three wounded people had been dragged from the area. A soldier at the scene, who gave his name as Abdullah Mahmoud, said Yemeni and Iranian guards had been killed in the attack.

The Interior Ministry confirmed one death — the son of the ambassador’s bodyguard — and said 17 people had been hurt, mostly employees of the oil ministry in a nearby building.

Security officials said the ambassador was unhurt, having left his residence for the embassy 10 minutes before the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but it mirrored past bombings carried out by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which targets state institutions, including the army, and sees Shiites as heretics.

Inside the embassy compound, an Iranian flag was draped over some of the rubble caused by the explosion. Part of the perimeter wall had caved in and several Houthi militia officials were on the scene, as well as regular Yemeni security officials.

In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted by official media as saying all embassy staff were unhurt. “It wasn’t a major issue and the incident is under investigation,” she was quoted as saying.