Two foreigners die in Yemen clash

Two foreign students, one a Muslim from France, have been killed in an attack by Shia rebels on a religious school in a restive region of Yemen, reports say.

The school is in Saada, the scene of previous clashes involving Shia rebels.

Last week, Reuters news agency reported that 15 rebels had been killed in battles with government troops.

Yemen's president ordered a crackdown against rebels two weeks ago, accusing them of trying to oust his government and impose Shia religious law.

A tribal source quoted by AFP news agency say the other fatality was a British Muslim student, but the British embassy in Sanaa said it could not confirm this.

The source said the students were part of a group guarding the Sunni religious school at night. Dozens of foreign students attend the school in Dammaj, the source added.