Yemen's defense minister survived a car bomb attack on Tuesday, but the blast killed at least five of his bodyguards, regional media said on Tuesday.

Maj Gen Muhammad Nasir Ahmad’s motorcade was targeted near government offices in central Sanaa after leaving a cabinet meeting, reports say.

The minister has survived a reported four attempts on his life since a new government was formed last December after a power transfer deal that saw long-ruling President Ali Abdullah Saleh resign after protests.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a week after the killing of the deputy head of the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, Said al-Shehri.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has carried out a number of attacks in the past.