SANAA: Al-Qaeda militants and Shiite rebels have fought a bloody battle in central Yemen, tribal sources said on Wednesday, amid fears of worsening sectarian tension in the impoverished Arabian country.

Thirty Shiite rebels and 18 Sunni fighters and their tribal allies were killed in the clashes, the tribal sources told Reuters. Shiite Houthi rebels seized control of the capital Sanaa on Sept. 21 and their forces have fanned out to Yemen’s west and center since then.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen’s Twitter page said it fought the rebels with light weapons and demolished their homes in the city of Radda in Al-Bayda province over the course of several hours on Tuesday — an account confirmed by local tribesmen.

The statement did not mention any casualties on its side, which the tribal sources put at 18 among the militants and tribal gunmen fighting along with the group. In a separate incident, Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for an attack on an army checkpoint elsewhere in Al-Bayda province which killed 5 soldiers, the fighters and security sources said.