ADEN, Yemen, July 11 (Xinhua) -- At least seven soldiers of the pro-government Yemeni forces were killed during armed confrontations with the Houthi rebels in the central province of al-Bayda on Thursday, a military official told Xinhua.
The local military official said on condition of anonymity that hours of intense armed confrontations between the pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels in Qanya in the east of al-Bayda left seven soldiers dead.
The pro-government forces attempted to advance and seize control over a number of military sites from the Houthis in the area, he added.
Other military sources told Xinhua that several soldiers were injured in the fighting with Houthis "who set up an ambush for the pro-government forces."
No information, however, was given about casualties among the Houthi rebels in the fighting.
Yemen has been locked into a civil war since the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.
The United Nations has listed Yemen as the country suffering the world's top humanitarian crisis, with 7 million people on the brink of famine.
