Yemeni military attacks on al-Qaida positions in Marib province Sunday killed four militants, including a senior member of the violent Islamist group, Yemen tribal officials said.

The attacks followed an ambush Saturday that killed eight soldiers, including a senior officer.

The tribal officials said airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling targeted the farm of Said bin Muaily, a senior al-Qaida member. He was killed, along with three others.

The tribal officials said a stray rocket missed its target and instead hit two houses in the Abieda valley in Marib, killing one man and injuring five others, including a child. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the raids with reporters.

The Defense Ministry called Saturday's attack a "terrorist ambush," confirming that the chief of staff in Yemen's central military region was killed.

The U.S. considers the local al-Qaida branch the world's most dangerous. The U.S. has helped Yemen intensify its campaign against the Islamist militants.