They said the car targeted in yesterday's attack was travelling in the province of Marib.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
This was the third US drone strike in a week.
US drone strikes have killed dozens of al-Qaida militants in Yemen as part of Washington's global campaign against the organisation.
Al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have taken advantage of the chaos and lawlessness brought about by Yemen's ongoing civil war to expand their reach.