ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of two Yemeni civilians were killed on Saturday during a sniping operation carried out by the Houthi rebel group in the southern province of Dhale, a security official told Xinhua.
The local security source said on condition of anonymity that a Houthi sniper killed two civilians near their house in the northern parts of Dhale, where fighting is still taking place.
The Houthi operation was apparently aimed at the pro-government soldiers positioned in the area of Qataba, the source said.
"The killed civilians were passing near a village that's witnessing armed confrontations between the pro-government forces and the Houthis," he added.
On Tuesday, forces loyal to Yemen's government achieved progress in fighting against the Houthi rebels in Dhale.
In April, the Iranian-allied Houthi fighters launched a series of intense armed attacks on the positions of Yemeni government forces and succeeded in seizing the district of Al Husha in the west of Dhale.
The areas in the north and west of Dhale, 138 km north of Aden, have been witnessing non-stop fightings between government forces and Houthi fighters for about four years.
Yemen has been plagued by a civil war since late 2014 after Houthi rebels forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.
