Thirty suspected al-Qaeda members were killed in Yemen by American air strikes Sunday, local tribal sources said.

The suspected members were killed in a second day of airstrikes against targeted militants in the area, Reuters reports.

An air strike also killed 10 suspected al-Qaeda militants in central Yemen Saturday, as well as three civilians. Yemen neighbors Saudi Arabia, a top oil exporter, and is home to the Arabian Peninsula's al-Qaeda faction (AQAP).

On Sunday, the defense ministry said Sunday's strikes targeted a rural, mountainous region in southern Yemen. An official source on the High Security Committee said that "terrorist elements were planning to target vital civilian and military installations."

Local and tribal sources told Reuters that another air strike hit a car carrying suspected militants in the southern Shabwa province, killing five, late Sunday.

A defense ministry source said that the strikes happened in conjunction with "efforts the Yemeni government is exerting to combat terrorism."

However, local sources said unmanned drone aircrafts have been seen above the targeted areas prior to this weekend.

The United States admits to using drone strikes to target AQAP in Yemen, but would not comment further.

According to local tribal sources, about 25 bodies from Sunday's airstrikes have been transferred to nearby towns. They said three strikes took place after dawn prayers Sunday, and all strikes targeted al-Qaeda camps.

An official source said the militants targeted in the strike were among the "leading and dangerous" elements of al-Qaeda.

Several suspected AQAP figures have been killed by U.S. drone attacks, including the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki in 2011. Awlaki, an American citizen, was an Islamist cleric with suspected links to the attempted bombing of a plane bound for Detroit in 2009 and attempted bombings of U.S. cargo planes in 2010.

"I think the fact the administration now is going aggressively against these terrorists ... is a very positive sign," said U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas, appearing on the Sunday morning news program "This Week."

While U.S. officials say the drone strategy has destabilized AQAP in the region, critics, which include Yemenis as well as U.S. politicians, say the strikes and civilian casualties are increasing resentment toward America and garnering sympathy for AQAP.