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The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil describes hearing "continuous gunfire" throughout the morning
A series of attacks at Yemen's defence ministry have left at least 20 people dead and 37 injured, officials say.
A suicide car bomb blew up at the gates of the complex in Sanaa's Bab al-Yaman district, at the entrance to the old city, and a gunbattle followed at a hospital inside.
At least two foreign medical staff are among the dead, medical sources say.
Yemeni security forces are fighting regional rebels and al-Qaeda, while combating lawlessness and army splits.
At the scene
We heard the huge explosions this morning as people were heading off to work. After that, I heard sporadic gunfire in what sounded like a continuous gunbattle.
A large plume of smoke was coming out of the area of old Sanaa amid wails of sirens as ambulances and military vehicles headed down to the city centre.
There's a girls school near where we are - the explosion happened after morning assembly there. The students had just gone into classes when one of the teachers made an announcement by loudspeaker telling the pupils where to go and for the supervisors to stick to their groups.
At midday I could hear gunfire and a small series of explosions as the call to prayer sounded through the city. A local journalist told me his cameraman tried to get to the scene and was stopped on the way.
Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser is currently on a visit to Washington.
No group has said it carried out Thursday's attack.
Correspondents say it bears the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
However, one government minister has blamed people linked to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Officials said the situation was under control and most of the gunmen had been killed.
"The attack took place shortly after working hours started at the ministry when a suicide bomber drove a car into the gate," a ministry source said, quoted by Reuters.
The blast was heard hundreds of metres away.
"The explosion was very violent, the whole place shook because of it and plumes of smoke rose from the building," an eyewitness told the agency.
Continuous shootingOfficials said a second car followed whose occupants opened fire at the complex, and a battle ensued involving gunmen in military uniforms.
The gunmen occupied a hospital at the complex, they added, but security forces later regained control of the building, which was badly damaged.
"The assailants took advantage of some construction work that is taking place to carry out this criminal act," the defence ministry said.
Yemen transition
- January 2011 - Start of mass anti-government protests
- March 2011 - Police open fire on pro-reform demonstrators, killing 52
- November 2011 - President Ali Abdallah Saleh agrees to hand power to deputy
- February 2012 - Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi inaugurated as president after uncontested elections
- June 2012 - Army recaptures three al-Qaeda strongholds in the south
- September 2012 - Defence Minister survives car bomb in Sanaa that kills 11
- March 2013 - Delayed national dialogue conference begins with aim of drafting new constitution
- August 2013 - Several foreign embassies shut temporarily over fears of attacks by al-Qaeda
They were said to be armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades.
"Most" of the gunmen were killed, officials said, but it was not clear how many were involved.
However, the BBC's Shaimaa Khalil in Sanaa says there was continuous shooting throughout the morning and some gunfire is continuing.
She describes Bab al-Yaman as a busy, bustling area with many shops.
The incident comes aid tight security in the last few weeks following a series of hit-and-run attacks on officials by militants on motorbikes, blamed on AQAP.
There were a large number of checkpoints and armoured vehicles on the streets even before the attacks, our correspondent says.
The country has been going through a painful transition since Mr Saleh was forced from office in 2011.
Presidential elections are due to be held in February 2014.
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