The identity of those freed from Al Mukalla prison was not immediately clear, although initial reports suggested that it included well-known al-Qaeda terrorists, Telegraph reported.
Khalid Batarfi, a senior Al-Qaeda figure who had been held for more than four years, was among more than 300 prisoners who escaped from the jail in Hadramawt province, the official told AFP.
Since March 26, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have begun to militarily interfere in Yemen's internal affairs by launching deadly air strikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.