Airstrike kills al Qaeda's No. 2 leader in Yemen

The officials said the missile that killed Mr. al-Shehri, a Saudi national, was believed to have been fired by a U.S. operated drone, but that couldn't immediately be confirmed. The U.S. doesn't usually comment on such attacks although it has used drones in the past to go after al Qaeda members in Yemen.

The Yemeni officials were elaborating on a brief Defense Ministry statement sent to Yemeni reporters on their mobile phones. A senior official at the Yemeni president's office confirmed the attack, but said DNA tests have yet to establish Mr. al-Shehri's identity. The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information to the media.