SAN'A, Yemen - A senior Yemeni official says his nation's air force launched a second day of strikes against al-Qaida hideouts.

Saleh al-Shamsi, deputy governor of the southern province Abyan, said three air strikes were launched Monday. He had no information on the targets but said an earlier strike on Sunday killed two al-Qaida members and injured others.

Yemen's Defense Ministry said Sunday's preemptive strike was to forestall an imminent al-Qaida attack against a strategic site.

Working with U.S. intelligence officials, Yemen has recently boosted its counterterrorism efforts to fight its rising al-Qaida presence. Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen has been linked to the failed bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day.